Hartford, Connecticut (WTNH) – Some children’s hospitals across the country are overwhelmed with patients suffering from respiratory illnesses.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), in particular, Latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionCases have spiked, especially in the northeast and south.
Over the past few weeks, Hartford’s Connecticut Children’s Hospital has been overbooked as more and more infants are admitted with RSV. The hospital is currently in talks with the National Guard and his FEMA about setting up tents outside to expand capacity.
“There are only a few emergency beds. [for children] Dr. Juan Salazar, Chief Physician, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, said:
He said the number of cases started surging in early September and increased exponentially.
“Our hospital was full,” Salazar said. “Our traditional pediatric inpatient bed has 25 beds on each of three floors and can be extended to 28. Everything was full this morning.”
At Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, RSV cases in the emergency department nearly doubled last week, from 57 to 106. Every day 30 children are hospitalized for her RSV. In contrast, they see only 1 he to her 3 children a day in her COVID-19 emergency department.
Several DC area hospitals also have capacity for several weeks, .
Sophia Teferi, a pediatrician at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center, said, “We need to tell parents that your child needs ICU-level care, but we don’t have a bed for them. The fact that it won’t be is a very difficult conversation,” he said.
NBC News Hospitals found in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Rhode Island were also strained from the influx of RSV cases.
For most children, RSV usually causes mild cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, nasal congestion, and mild fever. He said it could get worse.
“Why so many in September and October? I don’t know,” said Salazar. “We have theories: herd immunity, immunosuppression, and everyone getting infected at the same time. This is the perfect storm for our emergency department.”
Parents should be aware of changes in their child’s breathing. This could be a sign of RSV. Other signs are:
- fast or short breath
- grunt
- chest collapses with every breath
- The lack of oxygen causes the skin to turn blue or purple.If you have dark skin, look for changes around your lips, tongue, gums, and eyes
Although there is no vaccine against RSV, Dr. Salazar recommended that concerned parents about their children consult a pediatrician about immunoglobulin therapy. With mild he RSV, recovery usually takes several days.
Connecticut Children’s Hospital was already at capacity, and Salazar was also concerned that the flu could overwhelm them.
“Don’t wait,” said Salazar. “Get your kids vaccinated against the flu. It’s something you have to do and it’s very important to their families and you can help children’s hospitals reduce the number of children admitted to hospital.” .
Salazar said two children had already been hospitalized with the flu, which he said was very unusual for October. He expected a significant increase in flu cases in the coming weeks and during the holidays.
