Children’s hospitals remain under severe stress in Canada due to the resurgence of respiratory viruses in children, a persistent shortage of painkillers for children and the return of annual flu season.
Federal data across the country shows respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections are higher than expected for this time of year and continuing to rise, and the flu is spreading more widely and earlier than usual.
It is clear that healthcare workers are rushing to care for an “unprecedented” number of critically ill young patients, with some Canadian hospitals now resorting to canceling surgeries and relocating patients to free up space.
It is not entirely clear why there are so many sick children at once.
And while scientists say it’s hard to know the full answer, they do have a few theories.
Respiratory syncytial virus has returned to activity after epidemic levels declined
When it comes to the stress of respiratory syncytial virus, a widespread infection among children, it could now be twice as effective as it was in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Immunologist Deepta Bhattacharya, a professor at the University of Arizona, showed that RSV cases dropped to very low levels in 2020, “most likely due to a combination of precautions taken during the coronavirus” – which included the social distancing, mask wearing and widespread lockdown, during which part of the workforce has started working from home.
He explained that the production of antibodies in the immune system after respiratory syncytial virus infection decreases quite rapidly.
She added that this means more people are susceptible to infections, and those who do get infected don’t have many antibodies to slow down the virus, and mothers who haven’t been infected with the virus recently don’t pass many antibodies to their babies through breast milk.
And in July 2021, several Canadian scientists wrote, commenting on respiratory syncytial virus, that for several months Canada had virtually no cases of respiratory syncytial virus infection, which could mean that pregnant women and children were infected less and thus children’s immunity levels could be low, so a resurgence of infections could deplete the resources of pediatric intensive care units across the country.
Virus transmission changes every year
Canada finally saw a moderate increase in RSV cases in early 2021, but it hasn’t led to the current level of pressure on hospitals.
Dawn Bowdish, an immunologist at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, explained that with the flu making a strong comeback, along with a list of respiratory viruses including the Covid virus, coinfection may also be a factor in the high rates of the disease. serious.
Each virus affects the body differently, and research in adults suggests that people infected with multiple viruses at the same time, such as those who’ve had Covid, along with the flu or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), may have worse outcomes.
What role has covid 19 played?
As scientists scramble to understand the current viral landscape, other theories attempting to explain the current pediatric healthcare crisis include possible effects on the immune system following previous Covid 19 infections, and possibly in line with the problems health problems following infection with Covid, which raises questions about the damage to children’s immune systems after contracting Covid, which makes them vulnerable to serious illness from other germs, but according to many medical experts, this is unlikely, but not impossible.
Calls for re-mask and vaccination campaigns
Several children’s hospitals across the country report overcapacity, while federal officials say they have finally obtained overseas supplies of children’s heat and pain medication to ease shortages by months, which could give parents increased capacity to care for sick children at home.
Conversations about using masks to mitigate transmission of the virus are also growing, with senior public health officials in many regions urging people to wear a mask this fall and winter.
In addition, extensive vaccination campaigns against flu and coronavirus are also important, along with other preventive measures.
