Coughs, congestion, sore throats, fevers?viruses seem to be everywhere right now, and it?s not just COVID. Cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza and other viruses are rampant, and a critical shortage of paediatric fever reducers like ibuprofen and acetaminophen means parents don?t necessarily have the tools to deal with them. Here?s what?s currently happening in Canadian hospitals, and what parents can do to keep their kids healthy this winter and help ease the burden on the healthcare system.
Why are children?s hospitals under so much stress at the moment"
There are a ton of viruses circulating in communities right now, including the common cold, but it?s the ?tripledemic? of RSV, influenza and COVID-19 that are making kids sick enough to require hospitalization, says Dr. Joe Oliver, a paediatrician in Hamilton, Ontario. In terms of which virus is affecting kids the most, it?s hard to measure, particularly as a lot of kids actually have multiple viral infections, due to a weakened immune system. ?We?re seeing a really unprecedented surge of patients, both those who are coming to the paediatric ER and going home but also those who are coming to the hospital through the paediatric ER and have to be admitted,? adds Dr. Christopher Sulowski, chief of the paediatric emergency department at McMaster Children?s Hospital (MCH) in Hamilton, Ontario. ?It?s not just a wait time problem, it?s a whole-system-being-overwhelmed problem.?
In late November, MCH was at ...