Over 1,800 toddlers were hospitalised with RSV as surge contributes to overcrowding
The numbers show November was the worst month for children aged under four. File picture
Almost 3,000 people were hospitalised with RSV this winter, latest HSE figures show, including 1,806 toddlers under the age of four.
New data for September to the end of January also shows 638 people over the age of 65 were admitted to hospitals with this virus, more than double the number of older people affected in 2019.
The surge in RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) this winter was cited as one of the causes for hospital overcrowding, with even young children on trolleys unable to get a bed at the peak of the crisis.
The figures, released by the HSE in response to a parliamentary query from Labour TD Sean Sherlock, show November was the worst month with a steep climb in people hospitalised to 1,073 compared to 129 in September. Mr Sherlock called for more transparency around the hospital figures.
“We have to see a proactive approach that explains to people the dangers of RSV, especially those with reduced immune systems,” he said.
“It is important that information on numbers requiring hospitalisation from RSV is in the public domain. Much like when there were Covid spikes in areas, an RSV spike in regions can act as an information tool for parents and families to take additional precautions.”
The numbers show November was the worst month for children aged under four. The hospitals with the highest number of children admitted with RSV were Cork University Hospital (39), CHI at Crumlin (55), Our Lady of Lourdes Drogheda (51) and Portiuncula Hospital (47).
Monthly figures also show a high number of children admitted with their hospital marked as “unknown”. This reached 359 in November, potentially indicating even higher levels of overcrowding at the named hospitals.
During January, hospitalisations for this age group plummeted to 87, with the highest numbers in CHI at Crumlin at just seven admitted.
In December, the mother of an eight-week-old baby admitted to intensive care with RSV told the that watching her daughter struggle was “horrendous”.
“When they said ICU, I panicked, but in the end it was the best place for her,” Katie Barry said.
The risks from RSV for older people are less well known than for toddlers and infants, however this data shows serious health risks for them also. During January, while cases declined sharply among toddlers there were still 107 over-65s in hospitals with RSV, down from the peak this winter of 257 during December.
Older patients were reasonably evenly spread around the country. However, some regional hospitals, including University Hospital Limerick, had a higher number of elderly patients consistently through the winter months than other areas.
