Parents need to be ready for ‘tri-epidemic’ this winter, pediatricians say

Local pediatric ERs are already dealing with a surge of RSV, but an uptick of flu and COVID-19 could be on the way at the same time.

SHARE Parents need to be ready for ‘tri-epidemic’ this winter, pediatricians say
The main location of Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago at 225 E. Chicago Ave.

The current deluge of respiratory cases has been described as the pediatric world’s “COVID moment.”

Provided

The common respiratory virus that led to a recent spike in parents taking kids to local emergency rooms hasn’t let up, and things could soon get worse.

Doctors say Chicago, like the rest of the United States, could be in for a “tri-epidemic” of COVID-19, influenza and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus.

That’s with a wait time for an evaluation in the ER at Lurie Children’s Hospital already as long as 10 hours, said Dr. Tina Tan, a pediatric infectious diseases doctor there. But the wait time varies from day to day, hospital officials added.

The longest wait times aren’t typically seen until midwinter, Tan said.

“It’s going to get worse as these respiratory viral illnesses continue to increase,” Tan said.

Tan said there haven’t been any fatal respiratory virus cases this season.

Allison Bartlett, a pediatric infectious diseases doctor at Comer Children’s Hospital, described the deluge of respiratory cases as the pediatric world’s “COVID moment.”

“The COVID crisis wasn’t as significant for pediatrics in terms of volume because kids just, mercifully, didn’t get as sick as our adults,” Bartlett said. “We’re in that same almost-crisis mode, but the community isn’t clapping for us every night at 7, and they are not doing everything they can to help prevent the spread of infections. We’re sort of on our own.”

The spike in ER visits, fueled mostly by RSV, started in late September. Influenza isn’t yet circulating at high levels in the Midwest, Tan said.

“If it’s anything like what Australia saw, it’s going to be a severe flu season,” Tan said.

A number of factors are at play, including a lack of immunity among children who, because of COVID-19 safety protocols, haven’t been exposed to some of the viruses circulating. And not enough people are up to date on their COVID-19 and flu vaccines. There is no vaccine for RSV, which has similar early symptoms of a common cold — runny nose, decreased activity and appetite. RSV sometimes leads to a wheezing cough and problems breathing.

“All of this has led to the increase in the amount of disease that’s being seen, and the problem is, the more these viruses are allowed to be transmitted and circulate, the more risk there is for these viruses to mutate — and that’s what we are now seeing with COVID,” Tan said.

Tan is urging parents to make sure their children are up to date with COVID-19 boosters and this season’s flu vaccine.

For those parents who are suffering from vaccine fatigue, Tan sounds a familiar warning: “Viruses don’t pick and choose. They infect whoever is there.”

A pediatrician is typically the best source to help decide whether your child needs a trip to the ER. Here are some of the symptoms that require immediate attention, according to doctors at Lurie:

—Newborns [under 2 months] with a fever of 100.4° F or higher

—Severe chest pain, trouble breathing, passing out or fainting, coughing up blood

—Severe asthma attacks

—Severe dehydration (child is lethargic, has dry lips or mouth, hasn’t urinated in four to six hours, vomiting, diarrhea)

The Latest
Woman is getting anxious about how often she has to host her husband’s hunting buddy and his wife, who don’t contribute at all to mealtimes.
A 22-year-old man is in police custody and being questioned, according to Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd. She said investigators haven’t determined a motive for the attacks, which happened days after a Walmart employee was stabbed to death.
Only two days after an embarrassing loss to lowly Washington, the Bulls put on a defensive clinic against Indiana.
One woman suffered a gunshot wound to the neck. In each incident, the four to five men armed with rifles, handguns and knives, approached victims on the street in Logan Square, Portage Park, Avondale, Hermosa threatened or struck them before taking their belongings, police said.