Babies, toddlers hospitalized at high rates as RSV surge continues in Manitoba: Shared Health

Infants and young children continue to experience high rates of RSV-related hospitalizations in Winnipeg, but very young children make up the majority of those in pediatric intensive care, Shared Health said in a press release Wednesday.

Seventeen children were in the pediatric intensive care unit at the Winnipeg Health Sciences Center as of Wednesday morning. The majority of those patients were very young children with respiratory symptoms, including several who were “no more than a few months old,” the release said.

Although rates of positive influenza A tests appear to have peaked in Manitoba, Shared Health says RSV-related illnesses and hospitalizations continue to rise — with 18 infants and toddlers admitted to Children’s Hospital in the first six days of January .

That’s compared to 23 pediatric patients hospitalized throughout October, which rose to 78 in November and 119 in December.

Children under two are most likely to contract severe RSV, Shared Health said, and often get sick from personal interactions with people who don’t admit — or may not know — they’re experiencing cold-like symptoms.

While Children’s Hospital works to minimize delays for elective surgeries, the release said as of Tuesday that 19 procedures had been delayed since the decision was made in mid-December to shift staff to intensive care.

Parents can protect their children’s health by avoiding close contact with sick people, wearing masks in large crowds, and regularly washing their hands and cleaning frequently touched surfaces.

Get flu shots: Shared health

The number of patients in HSC’s children’s emergency department has also decreased slightly since December, falling from an average of 130.1 patients to 124.3 per day in January.

Shared Health strongly encourages Manitobans to get vaccinated against influenza A and B, warning that influenza A remains circulating in the province and influenza B is yet to emerge. Those who think they may have already had the flu should still get vaccinated, Shared Health said.

A complete list of places and options to get various vaccines – from flu to COVID-19 – is available at province website.