The pediatric unit at Royal Victoria Regional Hospital (RVH) in Barrie has expanded capacity due to a surge in patients, largely due to the flu and respiratory syncytial virus or RSV.
"The capacity of our pediatric patients has exploded," says Dr. Leah Bartlett, Chief and Medical Director of the pediatric department at RVH. "We're often at around 125 to 130 per cent capacity on a daily basis, so up to 10 patients we would have admitted in our pediatric floor."
Ontario Health recently recommended that all hospitals locally with pediatric units expand their capacity to 150 per cent, which in the case of RVH is a total of 12 beds.
Bartlett says they are seeing increased severity of illness in their young patients.
"Kids that maybe would have just gotten away with cold or flu symptoms may now be requiring oxygen or hospitalization for dehydration or breathing symptoms, so it's definitely an escalation in severity and in the volume of patients."
RSV is a virus that has been around for many years and according to Bartlett can cause cold symptoms in most of the population.
"However, we are particularly worried about RSV in young children and infants, those kids generally under the age of two, she explains. "In small children, they have tiny airways and RSV tends to be a virus that causes lots of mucus and secretions, so the very tiny airways can get easily plugged with secretions and cause problems for kids with their breathing, feeding and coughing."
There is currently no over-the-counter treatment that specifically helps with RSV, though for kids that do respond, asthma-type medications are a consideration. At home on a day-to-day basis, fever medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen for secretion management can be used, if they can be found on store shelves in the wake of a shortage of children's pain relief medication.
Another option, says Bartlett, is salt water that can be picked up at a pharmacy.
"You can use a little bit of salt water in each nostril, especially for babies and infants, which helps loosen up the secretions in their nose."
Bartlett also suggests a humidifier in the bedroom that can create a mist to help clear secretions.
Asked by Barrie 360 if the rampant spread of RSV and flu in children this fall is the result of several years of masking up against COVID-19 and little to no exposure to viruses, Bartlett agrees.
"I think you've hit the nail right on the head," says Bartlett. "I think the assumption is at this point that RSV is so virulent this year because our young kids, those under the age of three, really haven't had exposure to these germs in the last few years," she says. "When our body isn't exposed to germs, proteins and viruses, it doesn't have the immune knowledge to be able to fight new viruses, so we are more susceptible to illness."
"Interestingly enough, even in the months of July and August, we saw early evidence of RSV."
With the masks on and masks off regiment over the past few years, Bartlett says there are things people can do in terms of prevention.
"Get our flu shots, even for kids as young as six months, to prevent hospitalization," she recommends. "Make sure we are washing our hands and washing surfaces because RSV especially can stay on surfaces and that's often how it's transferred, and staying home when you are sick and masking in public."
