RSV climb pushes surgery cancellations

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This article was published 11/01/2023 (1066 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nineteen children’s surgeries have been postponed in Manitoba to date due to ongoing high patient volumes caused by RSV-related illness.

Influenza cases have likely reached their peak in the province, but cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) continue to climb, and infants are still becoming seriously ill, Shared Health stated Wednesday.

Seventeen patients were in the pediatric intensive care unit at Health Sciences Centre Children’s Hospital as of Wednesday morning, several of them babies no more than a few months old suffering respiratory symptoms.

There were 28 patients — all infants or toddlers — admitted to hospital for the week ending Jan. 6. In the neonatal ICU, there were 45 infants.

In the past week, two surgeries were postponed and an additional eight to 10 elective procedures were not scheduled as part of the hospital’s plans, announced in December, to prevent the pediatric intensive care unit from becoming overwhelmed in the face of so many hospitalizations.

In October, 23 children were admitted to hospital with RSV. By December, that number had increased five-fold to 119.

Children younger than two are at the highest risk of severe RSV symptoms, and health officials are urging parents to help prevent illness by keeping babies and toddlers away from people who are sick.

“The likelihood of getting sick is directly related to the number of personal interactions, including those between young children and people who may not know or acknowledge that they may be unwell (and who may be looking to hold and kiss the baby),” Shared Health stated.