As the holidays approach, children’s hospitals are under pressure due to respiratory viruses. Doctors appeal to parents: avoid emergency rooms if your child does not require immediate care.
“We are entering the holiday season and the flu virus is already upon us. We are seeing an increase in this virus and we are already stuck with the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) which causes a lot of problems in young babies,” declared the head of emergency at CHU Sainte-Justine. , the Dr Antonio D’Angelo, during a press briefing Wednesday morning.
The emergency room occupancy rate averaged 172% at CHU Sainte-Justine at the end of November. At the Montreal Children’s Hospital, the occupancy rate stood at 157%. “For several weeks, we have experienced very high occupancy rates with higher volumes,” said the Dr D’Angelo. He expects an increase in the coming weeks as the flu season begins.
Many children go to the emergency room, even if they don’t need to be there, says the DD Laurie Plotnick, medical director of the emergency department at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. She invites parents whose children do not require immediate care to contact the 811 line for advice or a medical appointment. If they still decide to go to the emergency room, parents of children “with mild gastro or flu symptoms” should plan to wait several hours before seeing a doctor.
Return of the triple epidemic
Just like last winter, Quebec is being hit hard by a triple epidemic of respiratory viruses. In fact, no less than 130,000 Quebecers contract a respiratory virus every day, according to weekly surveys carried out by the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ).
Of the lot, COVID-19 represents a third of new respiratory infections. There are also no less than 2,214 people hospitalized positive for coronavirus. However, it is not known what proportion of them were hospitalized due to their infection.
In addition to COVID-19, the respiratory syncytial virus also continues to circulate extensively. No less than 11.4% of screening tests carried out over the past week are positive for RSV. Influenza A is also experiencing a sharp increase, with screening tests showing a positivity rate of 3.8%.
The Dr D’Angelo advises people to exercise caution by avoiding gatherings if sick, wearing a mask and washing their hands regularly. He also recommends getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu.
Spread of Mycoplasma pneumoniae
“We see children with pneumonia, but we do not see a big increase in cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae », indicates the DD Laurie Plotnick. However, she specifies that she does not regularly test patients for this bacteria.
Cases of respiratory infections linked to bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniae, are on the rise in several countries around the world, notably in France, Denmark and China. However, it is impossible to know whether Canada is also observing this increase: neither the federal Public Health Agency nor the Quebec Ministry of Health are tracking these cases of infections.
Most infected people recover without treatment, but some people may need antibiotics or hospitalization. Young adults and school-age children are most affected.
When to go to the emergency room?
Parents are advised to go to the emergency room if their baby under three months has a fever or if their child has unusual drowsiness or confusion, difficulty breathing, vomiting and signs of dehydration, has ingested a poison, drug, or unknown substance or has a rash that looks like small bruises. Injuries such as head trauma with loss of consciousness, confusion or repeated vomiting, cuts that require stitches, eye injuries or burns resulting in blisters also warrant a visit to the emergency room.
With Pierre-André Normandin