cheo officials plead with families to get flu shots amid 'staggering' rise in cases
“we don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel until sometime in mid-january."
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officials from cheo are pleading with families to get their flu shots as the embattled pediatric hospital copes with what it calls a staggering increase in children who are seriously ill with influenza. the spike in flu cases comes late in a fall in which record numbers of children have been treated and admitted for respiratory syncytial virus (rsv) and other viral illnesses, forcing cheo to open a second intensive care unit and bring in the red cross for help. the hospital remains overcapacity.
and hospital officials are warning that things could get worse.
“we don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel until sometime in mid-january,” said cheo’s chief of infectious diseases, immunology and allergy, dr. chuck hui.
president and ceo alex munter tweeted that cheo usually sees dozens of children with influenza in its emergency department during november, with one or two so sick that they require hospitalization. this november, hundreds of children with influenza were treated in emergency and 73 were sick enough to be admitted.
that is the highest number apart from one month during the h1n1 pandemic in 2009 and it came during the same month cheo admitted a record number of children seriously ill with rsv.
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hospital officials say the viral season that has pushed the hospital beyond capacity this fall is far from over. the spike in influenza cases is continuing in december.
“unfortunately, the pace and volumes are not expected to slow because this viral season is not over. in fact, for influenza it is really just beginning. things could get worse,” the hospital said in a release urging people to get vaccinated.
cheo released a graph showing that it has, so far this fall, seen many times more cases, earlier, than during any of the past years going back to 2018-19.
graphic: since september, the regional lab at cheo has identified 992 cases of influenza. that’s the red line. yet another historic number. it looms above the previous record-setting year of september 2019 to august 2020 (the blue line).
unlike rsv, which has also made unprecedented numbers of children seriously ill this fall, there is a vaccine for influenza and it is a good match this year with the strain that is making so many children ill.
hospital officials have been urging people to wear masks while indoors in crowded spaces to reduce viral transmission and help take the pressure off cheo. that advice continues for flu, but there is also a push for people to get vaccinated.
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ottawa public health says it is seeing a good uptake in its flu vaccine clinics for young children.
it has administered 8,745 flu vaccine doses in its flu shot clinics and delivered more than 200,000 to health-care workers, hospitals, retirement homes and long-term care homes.
typically, flu vaccine uptake is around 40 per cent in canada, with higher numbers among the elderly and lower among younger people. this year, hui and others say, vaccination could make a significant difference to individuals as well as the pediatric health system.
anecdotally, hui said only a small minority of the young patients admitted to the hospital this fall for influenza or something else have been vaccinated against influenza.
flu is a serious illness, he noted. patients have extremely high fevers, a cough, chills and feel unwell.
“it really feels like somebody has been hit by a truck. when somebody gets very unwell for many days, it is not a minor illness.”
children under five are at the same risk of serious outcomes from the flu as adults who are 65 and over, another high-risk group, hui said.
pediatric infectious diseases specialist dr. anne pham-huy is also encouraging vaccine uptake among families, noting it is safe, even after a virus, that it is not too late. she said even people who think they had the flu are encouraged to get it because there are so many viruses circulating, it is likely to have been something else.
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“cheo is full of kids who were admitted for influenza, making a lot of families wish they had received the flu shot prior to their kids getting sick.”
the kids come first health team held a virtual town hall for caregivers and parents monday evening to answer questions about the increase in respiratory illnesses.
children between six months and five years and their families can get flu shots at an ottawa public health flu immunization clinic. for information: www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/public-health-topics/influenza-flu.aspx
anyone two and older can get a flu vaccine at a participating pharmacy.
six children have died of influenza in british columbia this year and a toddler in carleton place died after testing positive for influenza. a spokesperson for the ministry of health said information about influenza deaths are not made public in ontario.
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