UPDATE: New report shows flu activity rising in Georgia - The Atlanta Journal Constitution

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta says “an unprecedented” fig of sick children are filling exigency departments and urgent attraction centers, including children who necessitate hospitalization and intensive care.

The interaction of aggregate viral surges is severe: In summation to influenza, different respiratory viruses circulating see respiratory syncytial microorganism oregon RSV, a highly contagious seasonal flu-like unwellness that is much apt to beryllium superior successful infants and older adults. Adding to the microorganism dispersed are rhinoviruses, the astir communal origin of colds, and the ongoing dispersed of COVID-19.

A infirmary spokesperson declined to supply circumstantial numbers but said the surge is 2 to 3 times their mean measurement of patients.

The infirmary is temporarily postponing immoderate elective surgical and aesculapian procedures but time-sensitive, urgent procedures and admissions volition not beryllium affected. A infirmary spokesperson said that patients presently receiving ongoing attraction done the infirmary strategy volition proceed to person it.

Currently, according to the infirmary system’s website, exigency country hold times are much than 3 hours agelong astatine each Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Hospitals.

Georgia reports “high” flu activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s influenza enactment map. Flu enactment has picked up adjacent much successful Washington, D.C., with the nation’s capitol present successful a “very high” category, based connected the percent of diligent visits to doctors for flu oregon flu-like illnesses. Most states successful the state are presently experiencing debased flu activity.

“We person been highly busy. Flu, RSV, and different respiratory viruses each astatine the aforesaid time. Not overmuch COVID currently,” said Dr. Hugo Scornik, a Conyers pediatrician and erstwhile president of the Georgia section of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “We didn’t person atrocious flu seasons for the past 2 years owed to masking, etc. but I americium acrophobic we are successful for a terrible play this year. All children 6 months and up request to get their flu changeable ASAP to forestall a terrible lawsuit of flu.”

In September, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Scottish Rite Hospital expanded its exigency country with a structure erected successful a parking batch to accommodate a higher measurement of patients.

A Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta spokesperson said different healthcare systems astir the portion are besides experiencing the accent of akin diligent surges.

Influenza tin circulate year-round successful the U.S. but is astir progressive during the winter. During the COVID-19 pandemic, arsenic radical stayed location and wore masks, flu enactment astir disappeared. Fewer flu cases meant less radical developed immunity and galore people, particularly young children, didn’t make immunity since they weren’t exposed to illnesses. Now, amid the loosening of COVID-19 precautions, doctors are bracing for an particularly terrible play that’s already taking root. Another troubling indicator connected what’s to come: Australia is nearing the extremity of its worst play successful 5 years, according to the country’s Department of Health and Aged Care. The Southern Hemisphere is often a harbinger for the influenza severity the U.S. volition experience.

Respiratory illnesses including the flu are particularly unsafe for radical 65 and over, young children, large radical and those with chronic wellness conditions specified arsenic bosom and lung diseases.

The Georgia Department of Public Health reports 5.6% of diligent visits to doctors were for flu oregon flu-like illnesses during the week ending Oct. 8, the astir caller week for which numbers are available. That’s up from 4.9% from the erstwhile week. There person been nary influenza-related deaths truthful acold this play successful Georgia.

During the past mates of years, the percent of visits for flu fell beneath adjacent the baseline of 3.1%. The 2017-2018 flu play was 1 of the astir brutal successful caller years, with adjacent to 150 radical dying successful Georgia and much than 3,000 radical hospitalized successful metro Atlanta.

Dr. Joy Maxey, an Atlanta pediatrician, besides said her signifier is seeing an summation successful RSV cases and different respiratory viruses, with flu cases expanding dramatically successful the past 2 weeks. She recommends parents redouble their efforts connected the basics: getting the flu shot, bully nutrition, 8 hours of prime slumber each nighttime and bully manus hygiene. For those who get sick, she said they should enactment location and support an oculus connected symptoms.

Scornik said information signs for those sick with the flu see trouble breathing and utmost lethargy. Development of a caller rash is besides concerning. “These are reasons to question aesculapian attraction close away,” helium said.

Eboni Pyron, a genitor from Clayton County, said she and her injured lad waited six hours 1 time this week to beryllium seen by an exigency country doc astatine the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Hughes Spalding location.

Pyron said the exigency section waiting country was “very crowded” with children experiencing fevers and flu-like symptoms. The brace near erstwhile they were yet admitted to a country lone to beryllium told that determination weren’t immoderate doctors disposable to spot them. Pyron said she wishes she had been told to conscionable spell to a antithetic hospital.

“As parents, it was perfectly terrifying to cognize that your babe mightiness person to beryllium hospitalized owed to [RSV],” Kristen Lawson, a genitor who precocious took her girl to a Dacula urgent attraction halfway to beryllium treated for the virus, said successful a substance to the AJC.

In an interrogation conducted implicit a societal media messenger, Lawson said the doctors astatine urgent attraction told her that if her daughter’s information worsened, she would request to spell to the nearest hospital, Scottish Rite.

“[The doctors] told america to look retired for bluish astir her rima which would mean she isn’t getting capable oxygen,” Lawson said. She said she was “instantly successful panic mode” due to the fact that she lives successful Winder, an hr distant from the hospital.

Pyron expressed akin frustrations. The closest children’s infirmary is 30-35 minutes from wherever she lives, depending connected traffic, and she knows parents who person had to instrumentality clip disconnected enactment to accommodate longer-than-usual exigency country hold times.

“Jobs don’t care, they expect you to beryllium there,” Pyron said. “It’s stressful.”

Pyron’s lad is stable, but she plans connected taking him to urgent attraction arsenic soon arsenic she can. While Lawson’s girl avoided hospitalization, she wasn’t retired of the woods yet, either.

“There person been a batch of sleepless nights monitoring her and making definite she is breathing good and escaped of mucus. It’s atrocious to cognize that this tin past up to 2 weeks,” Lawson wrote. “There is thing worse than seeing your babe endure and there’s not overmuch you tin bash to marque them consciousness better.”

Tips for staying harmless during this flu season

Stay up to day connected vaccines and boosters. Get your yearly flu changeable and your COVID-19 vaccine and booster (when eligible). According to the CDC, COVID vaccines tin beryllium fixed astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic an yearly flu shot.

To docket a vaccine, spell to https://www.vaccines.gov/find-vaccines/

Stay location erstwhile you are sick. If you indispensable spell retired successful public, deterioration a disguise until symptoms improve.

Cover coughs and sneezes with the wrong of your arm.

Clean your hands frequently, particularly earlier eating and aft coughing oregon sneezing.

SOURCE: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta