The flu season has not yet started in Quebec, but the emergency rooms of Montreal pediatric hospitals are overflowing. Many children are hospitalized due to atypical pneumonia or bronchiolitis. Others, suffering from a chronic illness, have respiratory problems linked to a virus.
Posted at 11:31 a.m.
“The occupancy rate on stretchers varies, from hour to hour, between approximately 145% and 225%,” says the head of emergency at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center (CHU), Dr.r Antonio D’Angelo. “It’s a little unusual that it’s this busy now when it’s just the start of the season. »
The waiting room is also busy. Around 45% of emergency patients are minor cases (P4-P5 for priorities 4 and 5 in the jargon), estimates the emergency pediatrician. “It takes a lot of resources to sort through this world. We can’t really work in an optimally safe environment. »
In the emergency room of the Montreal Children’s Hospital (MCH), the average occupancy rate on stretchers has been more than 140% since the beginning of October. Patients with a minor problem (P4-P5) represented more than 50% of emergency visits between 1is and October 31.
Faced with this “increase in crowds”, the two pediatric hospitals issued a joint press release on Friday inviting parents to “avoid going to the emergency room if their child’s condition does not require immediate care”.
However, you should consult a doctor if the child is not able to hydrate, has respiratory distress or “breathing sounds”, has a high fever for three to five days or “is not well”, specifies the Dr D’Angelo.
Hospitals emphasize that “no child requiring medical care will be refused.” In an email, the MCH specifies that a staff member is in the emergency room “to help parents of patients with minor health problems find an appointment in a clinic, if they wish. »
Remember that a new drug preventing respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), called nirsevimab, is now available for babies born on or after April 2, 2024 (and those born on or after March 2, 2023 with certain medical conditions). RSV can cause bronchiolitis or pneumonia in toddlers.
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