2022–2023 pediatric care crisis

2022–2023 pediatric care crisis
RSV, Influenza, and COVID-19 are among the primary contributors to the crisis

In the waning months of 2022, the first northern hemisphere autumn with the nearly full relaxation of public health precautions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals in the United States and Canada[1] began to see overwhelming numbers of pediatric care patients, primarily driven by a massive upswing in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases, but also flu, rhinovirus, enterovirus, and SARS-CoV-2.[2]

With high levels of hand-washing, mask-wearing, and social isolation during the early years of the pandemic, children born during this period had particularly low levels of exposure to RSV, with public health professionals reporting extremely low levels of RSV transmission in 2020 and 2021. In contrast, 2022 evidenced a dramatic reversal.[3]

Starting in September 2022, many emergency departments and intensive-care units in the United States have been either at-capacity or over-capacity, with a variety of hospitals resorting to extreme measures which have included the use of a makeshift tent outside Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Maryland and the proposed deployment of the National Guard in Connecticut.[2]

Outside of North America, in the United Kingdom, pediatric infections also began to spike beyond pre-pandemic levels, albeit with different illnesses, such as Group A streptococcal infection and resultant scarlet fever.[4] As of mid-December in 2022, 19 children in the UK had died due to Strep A and the wave of infections had begun to spread into North America and Mainland Europe.[5][6]

In late 2023, a similar pattern of pediatric illness appeared to emerge with Mycoplasma pneumoniae in China during the first full autumn and winter season following relaxation of its stringent Zero-COVID policies.[7] Increased rates of pediatric Mycoplasma pneumonia were simultaneously observed in other parts of the world, with Denmark declaring that infections had reached epidemic levels.[8]

  1. ^ Shingler, Benjamin. "What to know about RSV, a virus surging among young children in Canada". CBC News.
  2. ^ a b Wu, Katherine (31 October 2022). "The Worst Pediatric-Care Crisis in Decades". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  3. ^ Roth, Clare (27 October 2022). "Doctors say respiratory infection RSV may surge this winter". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  4. ^ Mackintosh, Thomas; Durbin, Adam (3 December 2022). "Father of girl, 4, fighting for life with Strep A infection is 'praying for a miracle'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Strep A kills three more children as UK activates alternative medicines plan: At least 19 children have died and scarlet fever cases are more than treble what they were in previous high season". The Guardian. 15 December 2022. Archived from the original on 17 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Strep Expansion was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Sparrow, Annie (28 November 2023). "Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  8. ^ Schnirring, Lisa (29 November 2023). "Denmark reports Mycoplasma pneumonia epidemic | CIDRAP". Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. Archived from the original on 30 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
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