Dad of newborn admitted to intensive care wants more action to curb respiratory infections in Manitoba

A Winnipeg dad whose seven-week-old son recently spent four days in hospital battling respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, says the province and some parents don't seem to appreciate the seriousness of the situation.

The Health Sciences Centre Children's Hospital saw a spike in admissions over the weekend, bringing the total number of critically ill infants on the pediatric intensive care unit to 21 — more than double its pre-pandemic capacity of nine.

Stéphane Lenoski's son was one of them. 

"You hear what's on the news and you get there and you say it's real. No one's making this up," said Lenoski. 

"The waiting room is completely full and all you hear is coughing, yelling, crying and people wanting to get seen," he said. 

The surge has led to the postponement of non-urgent pediatric surgeries. 

A Shared Health spokesperson said in an email Friday the overall number of critically ill pediatric patients at HSC Children's Hospital is 18. 

Everyone needs to be on board 

Lenoski said when his son was born, he and his wife Jocelyn divided the care of the baby and their two-year-old, to protect the infant from the infection. 

He said his toddler got sick at daycare, and that's how the baby got the virus. 

"We did everything we could, hand washing, stayed away from our toddler, trying not to kiss the baby — he still got it," Lenoski said. 

Lenoski's son is back home and recuperating now, but he said their experience shows that other parents also need to be on board in protecting children.

"That's not to blame anyone, it's just to say if your kid is sick, don't put him in daycare because that has a trickle effect of infecting 10 kids in daycare, infecting the babies at home, and it just explodes," he said.  

Lenoski also questioned why health officials haven't implemented public health measures similar to those used earlier in the pandemic, such as masking mandates for children in school, and an early Christmas break for students.  

"I understand people are tired and went through COVID, but … what's happening to our children right now is not right. It's not what Canadians are about," he said.  

What parents can do

Dr. Elisabete Doyle, the medical director and section head of pediatric emergency medicine at the HSC Children's Hospital, said while the situation is dire, "we're in a different space right now" from earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, when all-encompassing public health restrictions were necessary. 

The influx of respiratory illness cases is "exaggerated this year and it's happening faster … but it is something that we do see every year," said Doyle. 

"The best advice is really to take public health measures wisely and instead of closing things down, emphasizing to parents and families to be intentional about protecting themselves and their families."

Doyle said as families prepare for the holidays, there are things they can do to lower the risk of infection and hospitalization. 

The first and best defence, she says, is for everyone in the family to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and influenza. 

"It will make such a huge difference, especially for those at children who are not eligible for vaccine."

Doyle said people should avoid large gatherings and mothers of young babies should have people wash their hands before touching them. 

"Try to avoid touching the face and encourage people who are coughing and sneezing to do so into their elbow and not into their hands," she said.  

Doyle also recommended ventilating gathering areas "and making sure children and families also have time to rest." 

"We are often on at such a high pace through the holidays and we don't take the time to rest, and viruses love people who haven't rested," she said. 

More could be done

The latest data shows only about 13 percent of children have gotten a flu shot. The numbers for COVID-19 vaccine among children are even lower. 

Health experts have said the province could do more to increase the number of people taking the vaccine, beyond the use of billboards and advertisements on radio and online. 

Lenoski said he remembers a lot more being done to get adults to take the vaccine at the height of the pandemic, and questions why more creative solutions aren't being implemented now. 

"We did it for our elderly, vulnerable and mostly adult population and COVID. Why are we not doing it for our children?" he asked.