Flu on rise, RSV awareness spreads

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This article was published 01/12/2022 (755 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Flu cases continue to rise in Manitoba, and sick children are steadily showing up in emergency rooms.

Children under the age of five account for 15 per cent of all confirmed influenza cases, according to the latest provincial respiratory virus report, released Friday.

Flu cases have been steadily increasing for more than a month. The influenza test positivity rate was 21.4 per cent, the new report shows — an increase from 15.6 per cent the previous week.

On Wednesday, Health Sciences Centre Children’s Hospital ER had 167 patient visits, with only seven admitted to hospital. That daily snapshot of demand is in line with the monthly average for November — 170.3 patient visits — which represented unprecedented sustained patient volumes for the children’s ER.

Rates of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) appear to be declining. The test positivity rate for RSV was 2.2 per cent for the week of Nov. 20-26, a decrease from 5.6 per cent the previous week.

Since she spoke publicly about her young sons’ battles with RSV, a Winnipeg mother has been on the receiving end of many families’ personal stories about the virus and other respiratory infections.

Breanne MacLennan’s boys caught RSV in May, so early in the viral season doctors told her it was “unheard of,” she said.

Her oldest son Max, then almost two years old, was diagnosed with asthma after suffering through RSV for 10 days. Walker, six weeks old, had to be hospitalized for three days and placed on oxygen after receiving outpatient care for congestion. RSV caused the lung infection bronchiolitis — an inflammation of the small airways. (RSV-caused bronchiolitis has also been increasing, with about 140 Manitoba cases recorded in November.)

The scary experience prompted MacLennan to warn other families in a Facebook post, and she was later interviewed for a local news outlet, prompting an outpouring of people’s personal stories about RSV.

It also exposed a need for more education, MacLennan said.

“I had a lot of people reach out saying they don’t know what RSV is (or what its effects are),” she said Friday. “Which is still surprising.”

Her sons are doing well now, for which MacLennan is grateful — she says it could’ve been much worse. “Both of the boys need an inhaler now and they catch all of the colds, but we are fortunate.”

For other families going through it now, MacLennan recommends drawing on others for support and remembering to look after yourself. She knows firsthand that’s easier said than done. “You just feel so helpless as a parent. You have to take care of yourself so you can take care of them.”

It’s important for parents to watch for signs of respiratory distress in their babies and toddlers and seek emergency medical attention if it happens, MacLennan said. She doesn’t want people to “live in fear,” but they must be aware if an older child is sick, the same illness could have devastating effects on a newborn.

“Hang in there,” she advised. “Let’s all get through this season together — hopefully, it is just a season.”

As of early Thursday, there were nine patients in pediatric intensive care and 48 patients in the newborn ICU, according to a Shared Health spokesperson who stated Children’s Hospital patient volumes have stayed high this week.

The downtown Winnipeg hospital has had to move nurses from other units to deal with the surge in pediatric patients. Ten to 15 staff members, most from outpatient units, have been reassigned in recent weeks, Shared Health stated.

The reassignments are affecting other parts of the hospital, however.

“These staffing moves, in addition to a recent and unforeseen leave, have temporarily impacted the volume of patients able to be seen in the HSC Pain Clinic. Affected patients may wish to contact their primary care provider to discuss options that may be appropriate for them,” Shared Health stated.

“We are actively exploring staffing models to ensure a minimal disruption to service and support improved access for patients at HSC’s Pain Clinic. We encourage any patient with concerns to reach out to our patient relations office.”

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca