PHOENIX — The strain on our hospital system continues as doctors are seeing an increase in cases from three major viruses, the flu, COVID-19 and RSV, all coming in at once.
All three can present similar symptoms, including cough, congestion, runny nose and fever.
Doctors at Phoenix Children's say they're preparing for a long, tough flu season.
They're basing that assumption on cases coming in now, along with data from Australia, as Australians go through their flu season before we do here in the US.
"They had a high number of cases of influenza during that season, and that potentially might be the case here in the US and the rest of the northern hemisphere," said Dr. Wassim Ballan, Division Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Phoenix Children's.
"One thing that is predictable about those respiratory viruses is sometimes they are unpredictable," Dr. Ballan said.
But the main concern right now, he says is respiratory syncytial virus or RSV.
A new study shows more than 1,000 people came down with RSV this month when that number is usually under 200. Federal data shows Arizona is one of six states where 90% of children's hospital beds are filled.
"Typically we don’t see that (RSV) starting in Arizona until the end of November, December and then going on until the spring months, however last year, and now again this year, we’re seeing it starting early in the season, and the spike of those infections happening much earlier than typical seasons," Dr. Ballan said.
RSV is a respiratory virus that hits hard in young children.
In fact, it's been a tough few weeks for an 11-month-old baby girl named Brielle and her family after she fought off a bout with COVID-19, an ear infection, and finally landing in Phoenix Children's with RSV.
Mom, Kelley Soares, was extremely worried as she watched her daughter's condition worsen.
"It attacked her immune system completely. She had horrible congestion, nasal drainage, a bad cough, and then really high fevers," Soares said.
She and her husband took action, she says, when Brielle's temperature spiked to 106 degrees.
"When we first were admitted to the ICU they prepared us for the worst. She wasn't doing well at all," she said.
Soares says Brielle got around-the-clock care, with Phoenix Children's staff giving her IV fluids, oxygen and suctioning fluid from her lungs.
"It was hard to deal with to be honest. To see your child suffer and have such difficulty breathing and lethargic and there was really nothing that you could do to help," Soares said. "She really didn't have much interaction between us. She would just make sounds trying to breathe, it was absolutely devastating."
But over the next six days mom says Brielle fought, and slowly began to return to health.
"She's doing excellent now. She's improved dramatically," she said.
Dr. Ballan says it can be difficult for parents to distinguish the difference between the flu, COVID-19 and RSV and know when to seek medical care.
"What I always tell parents is that they should follow their instinct in terms of, 'Does my child look like they're struggling, and they're having problems dealing with this infection or not?' A lot of kids have common colds all the time and if they're running around and doing ok otherwise, and they just have some cough and congestion, then it's probably ok to keep them at home and watch them closely," Ballan said.
"But if they start getting concerned that the patient is having trouble breathing, they're having difficulty breathing, are using what we call accessory muscles to breathe, or their neck is sinking in the chest when they're taking a deep breath, they look uncomfortable, or if they start showing signs of dehydration because they're not able to drink enough fluids to stay well hydrated, those are going to be the main reasons to bring them to medical attention. RSV is a virus that causes something called bronchiolitis, which is inflammation in the small airwaves. That sometimes leads to a buildup of mucus in the chest." she added.
"You know your child," Soares said. "If they have a simple cold, that's one thing, but when they start becoming more lethargic, they're not eating or drinking appropriately, they're not having as many wet diapers, their interactions aren't normal anymore or they're having difficulty breathing at all, you definitely want to bring them in because they can crash at any time," she said.
Dr. Ballan says the main focus should go toward preventing the spread of the viruses.
Washing hands, covering the mouth, and staying home when sick are key, he says. And getting vaccinated for COVID-19 and the flu will help decrease the strain on hospitals.
"We don't have a vaccine for RSV, but we have very safe and effective vaccines for the other two 'big V’s' when we're talking about COVID-19 and influenza," Ballan said.
"We have the tools to try to protect the patients against severe infections from those two viruses. So that by itself would help us with decreasing the strain on the healthcare system when it comes to hospitalization from respiratory infections," he said.
Despite the recent surge, Phoenix Children's says they still have bed space.
Soares says she and her husband can't thank the staff of Phoenix Children's enough for helping their daughter pull through. "She's at home now, she's in good hands, and we're all really happy and grateful."
