Manitoba health officials warn to take precautions heading into holiday – Winnipeg

Fewer sick children have been admitted to intensive care units at Winnipeg Children’s Hospital in recent days, but health officials warn this could change as people gather for the holiday season.

dr Karen Gripp, the medical director of the hospital’s emergency room, says 17 pediatric patients are being treated in the ICU, up from 23 a week earlier.

There are 47 patients in the NICU with a normal baseline of 50.

A surge in children with respiratory illnesses last week prompted the hospital to postpone some surgeries and transfer some healthcare workers.

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dr Patricia Birk, the hospital’s chief of pediatrics and child health, says no new surgical changes were made this week and only one elective surgery was postponed due to the changes.

Officials say it’s still early in the typical respiratory season and are urging families to stay home during the holidays if they’re sick.

“We know people want to celebrate, especially after the past few years, but celebrating a holiday with extended family and friends isn’t worth the risk of your loved one getting sick,” says Gripp.

“Your illness may be a minor inconvenience to you, but it could be life-threatening to an infant or young child. So think carefully and make the right choice.”

This month, the hospital has an average of 136 patients, compared to 170 patients in November, Gripp says.

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Although numbers have decreased, there are still large numbers of children admitted to intensive care units with influenza A and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

There were 52 hospital admissions for RSV this month, including 23 last week.

Officials expect cases to spike in the new year and when cases of influenza B are discovered.

“We know that once we start seeing a few cases, a lot of cases develop quickly, and hopefully we don’t have any bad consequences from that,” says Gripp.

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