Nova Scotia health officials will speak to the media Thursday afternoon about respiratory illnesses as IWK Health Centre in Halifax grapples with a surge in cases among young children.
Dr. Robert Strang, chief medical officer of health, and Dr. Andrew Lynk, chair and chief of pediatrics at the IWK, will take questions during a news conference at 1 p.m. AT. CBC News will live stream the news conference here.
In its weekly respiratory watch updates, Nova Scotia Public Health is reporting an increase in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) at this point in the year when compared to previous years.
The IWK’s pediatric intensive care unit has been operating at 100-160 per cent capacity between Nov. 4 and Nov. 15.
Earlier this month, Lynk told CBC News that the children’s hospital is seeing an increase in children admitted for non-COVID-19 breathing problems, with 140 to 150 children visiting the emergency room each. A normal busy day would see 100 to 120 visitors to the ER.
On Nov. 6, the IWK reported a record number of visitors — 200 — to its emergency department.
RSV infects the lungs and respiratory tract. It can result in severe infection in some people, including children under two and older adults with pre-existing conditions.
For most people, RSV leads to cold-like symptoms such as runny nose, cough and fever.
