Pediatric hospital admissions for flu increased by 7,306 per cent last year, a new report reveals
CTV
A new report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information reveals hospitals across Canada saw a significant increase in hospitalizations due to respiratory illnesses among children last year.
Last winter, parents and health-care workers across Canada sounded the alarm over an apparent increase in the number of children hospitalized with respiratory infections.
While parents said they were struggling to treat their children's symptoms amid shortages of over-the-counter cough and cold medicine, doctors warned that pediatric admissions for respiratory illness were pushing hospitals to their limits.
Now, a report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) bears out those stories with new data that shows hospitals did, in fact, see a significant increase in the number of stays due to respiratory illnesses among pediatric patients during the 2022-23 fiscal year.
In fact, CIHI's data shows hospitalizations for seasonal flu among children four and under spiked by 7,306 per cent, increasing to 2,444 cases in 2022-23 from only 33 cases the previous year. The federal fiscal year in Canada begins on April 1 and ends on March 31 the following year.
"Last year was unprecedented for all pediatric hospitals in this country and highlighted key gaps in our system," Dr. Lindy Samson, chief of staff and chief medical officer at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), stated in a media release.
"We know from experience that viral seasons will continue to affect our young patients, and this is why it is so important that we invest in our pediatric health system and adopt public health measures to help reduce the risks."
Some health-care professionals attributed the spike in respiratory infections last year to the fact that physical distancing and public health restrictions during the pandemic kept most children from being infected with viruses like RSV and influenza for two years. Once those restrictions eased, the viruses began to circulate again, and some children whose bodies were inexperienced fighting them became very sick.
