WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – A surge of respiratory virus infections has spread to children in southeastern North Carolina. Dr. David Hill of the American Academy of Pediatrics says the rise in cases comes at a difficult time for doctors.
“Even anticipating it, I think it surprised everyone,” Hill said. “And that’s coming at a time when we have less capacity than we used to. We have fewer nurses, it’s harder to staff our hospital beds, so it’s really hitting us at the worst possible time.”
Hill points to four sources — COVID-19, the flu, RSV and Rhinovirus-enterovirus — as a cause for concern, saying the surge in cases could almost be considered a “quadruple demic.”
The shortage of over-the-counter cold and flu medicine for children isn’t a big concern for Hill. In fact, she says that pediatricians generally discourage parents from using such remedies. What worries Hill, however, is that major antibiotics have been hard to come by.
“These are the bread and butter of what we use to treat bacterial complications of viral illnesses like ear infections and even pneumonia or sinusitis,” Hill said. “And people have to go to multiple pharmacies to find these very basic prescriptions.”
Despite the new rise in infections, the central message remains.
“Hand washing, social distancing, vaccinations, masks are still very effective in preventing the spread of these diseases,” Hill said. “So this holiday season, especially when you have kids around, use common sense.”
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