DIVI, an intensive care association, stated that the seasonal rise in respiratory syncytial viruses cases and a shortage in nurses were causing a “catastrophic” situation in hospitals.
RSV is a highly contagious virus that can infect almost all infants and toddlers between the ages of 2 and 2. Some may become seriously ill. Experts believe that RSV is now more prevalent in children and babies due to the removal of pandemic restrictions.
Hospital doctors have to make tough decisions about who to allocate to intensive care beds. Children with RSV and other serious conditions may be transferred to hospitals in Germany. DIVI stated that a recent survey revealed that there were less than 100 pediatric beds available nationwide, and that this situation could get worse.
Sebastian Brenner, the head of the University Hospital Dresden’s pediatric intensive care unit, said that if the forecasts are correct, then things will become significantly more severe in the coming days, and weeks.”
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This is what we see in France and Switzerland, for instance. This will lead to bottlenecks in treatment.
Dr. Michael Sasse, chief of pediatric intensive care at Hannover’s MHH University Hospital said, “The situation has become so dire that we genuinely have the need to say that children are dying because they can’t be treated anymore.”
Karl Lauterbach, the German Health Minister, announced Thursday that the government would relax some regulations to make it easier for nurses to be transferred to pediatric units. In addition, 600 million euros ($630M) will be provided to pediatric hospitals in the next two years.
Last month, the European Union’s executive committee approved the first ever one-dose anti-RSV drug.
