The proliferation of viruses sweeping Quebec this fall is particularly hard on children. More students are currently absent from schools than at the height of the Omicron wave and nearly one in four children who are hospitalized with a respiratory virus are fighting off more than one infection, learned The Press.
No less than 150,280 students are currently absent from Quebec schools, for all causes, the Ministry of Education said on Tuesday. This represents 12.06% of students in preschool, primary, secondary, vocational training and adult education.
This is significantly more than last February, when the Omicron variant swept through Quebec. At the time, the school network had reported a peak of just under 130,000 absences.
Another sign of the magnitude of the wave of absenteeism, school principals estimate that the observed absence rate is usually more around 5 to 7%.
Unlike last winter, COVID-19 is not the main culprit. Indeed, it is associated with only 17,469 of the 150,280 school absences. The 132,811 other absences listed are due to other reasons, not specified by the Ministry.
With COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza and rhinoviruses, respiratory virus transmission is ubiquitous this fall. “Normally, these viruses circulated throughout the year, but there, they all began to circulate during the fall. It’s very unusual”, illustrates the DD Rodica Gilca, responsible for monitoring hospitalizations associated with respiratory viruses at the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ).
Young people, highly exposed to viruses, are therefore at greater risk of developing an infection… or several at the same time. “Children share viruses and they haven’t acquired good immunity yet, so you often find co-infections. You can find two, three or even four viruses at the same time”, explains the DD Gilca.
Currently, 22% of children hospitalized with a respiratory virus are fighting more than one, according to the INSPQ’s Hospitalization Surveillance Program, which tracks six hospitals in Quebec. By comparison, only 2% of adults hospitalized with respiratory viruses have co-infections.
The most common cases of co-infection occur with RSV and rhinoviruses, which cause the common cold, says DD Gilca.
Call for vigilance
At the University of Quebec in Montreal, virologist and professor in the department of biological sciences Benoit Barbeau says it is “not surprising” that children contract more co-infections than adults. These repeated infections must nevertheless be limited as much as possible, especially in the youngest, according to him.
“Two viruses in a child’s immune system can mean more inflammation and more vulnerability to potential respiratory problems,” he explains. The DD Gilca specifies, however, that these co-infections are not necessarily synonymous with “more severe disease”.
One thing is certain, Mr. Barbeau calls on the population to be vigilant. “We have withdrawn the sanitary measures, even if we strongly recommend wearing a mask. We are going through a first winter season without sanitary measures. It gives free rein to viruses. You have to be aware of this, ”says the expert.
An incomplete picture
In the last week, 896 cases of influenza have been identified in Quebec, especially in hospitals. This is twice as much as the previous week. During the same period, there were also 606 RSV infections. As for COVID-19, Quebec has recorded 5,341 infections by PCR test.
However, these cases are probably greatly underestimated, believes the Dr Matthew Oughton, infectious disease specialist at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal. The latter considers that the main issue is that Quebec has only limited screening capacities for influenza and RSV, at least significantly less than for COVID-19.
In principle, tests to identify RSV and influenza are carried out in hospitals, but not for all patients, specifies the DD Gilca. “For example, for RSV, there is no specific treatment, so the doctor doesn’t really have a clinical justification for ordering the test,” she says.
Outside the hospital, only tests to identify COVID-19 are offered, adds the Dr Oughton.
Tests for the other two viruses exist, but we do not distribute them. It means that all these people who are less at risk, who contract the disease and who stay at home, they are downright invisible. [pour le gouvernement].
The Dr Matthew Oughton, infectious disease specialist at the Jewish General Hospital
According to the Dr Oughton, the INSPQ would also have every interest in integrating RSV and influenza into its wastewater analysis. “We are already doing it for COVID, so we have the tools. It would give a much better picture of the situation in the community, ”he explains.
At the INSPQ, spokesperson Aurèle Iberto-Mazzali confirms that the organization does not “currently analyze these viruses in wastewater”. “From a scientific point of view, the INSPQ will evaluate in the coming months the avenues of interest for the development of the program, i.e. other pathogens or contaminants, for example, according to public health needs and the latest knowledge. scientists,” he concludes, recalling, however, that decisions are made by the provincial government.
With Pierre-André Normandin and Marie-Eve Morasse, The Press
Emergency rooms remain busy
The occupancy rate in emergency rooms remains high in Quebec, while the average was 118% in the last week. This rate remains much higher than the government’s target, which is 85%. In the past week, no less than 10,008 people have come to the emergency room. In total, 51% of visits did not require going there, according to the performance indicators of the health and social services network.
