Windsor's pediatric unit sees surge in respiratory illness, as some childrens' medication supply low

Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) is seeing an influx of children with respiratory illnesses as the region copes with a country-wide shortage of antibiotic and pain reliever medications for youngsters.

The hospital's chief of pediatrics, Dr. Sajit Augustine, said bed capacity has increased from 90 per cent to 120 per cent over last couple of weeks. The hospital is also seeing a staffing shortage, he said. 

"These kids, especially in the zero to five-year age group, they present with difficulty with breathing, so much so that they need breathing support and sometimes the breathing support that could be provided on the inpatient wards far exceeds their capabilities," Augustine told CBC News. 

Usually, children experiencing this would have to be transferred to intensive care for breathing support, said Augustine, who is also medical director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at WRH. 

The hospital is now transferring children less than two months old to the neonatal intensive care unit so that they can receive breathing support, said Augustine.

"We have never done this before. We never had to do this before, but the pressure on the system is so high."

WATCH | Hospital takes new steps to support young kids with respiratory illness: 

Last week, local health officials and the province warned of a busier than usual flu season. CBC News reported that triple the number of children are going to Ontario emergency departments with respiratory illness, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Right now, respiratory activity in Windsor-Essex is at an "elevated" level for all age groups compared to last week, according to Ontario's Acute Care Enhanced Surveillance (ACES) database. 

The hospital is regularly convening with neighbouring regions to accommodate capacity concerns, said Augustine.

When it comes to treating children, reopening the Paediatric Urgent Medical Assessment (PUMA) clinic may be an option, he said. 

PUMA opened in August 2021 for children under the age of 18, and saw more than 10,000 patients before it closed last month. 

"Nothing is off the table," said Augustine. "We decided to close it down because the number of visits had started to decline. So we thought it would be prudent to kind of streamline our resources toward areas where it is much needed, and at this time it is mostly needed in the inpatient areas."

When it comes to treating children locally, the hospital is also dealing with a country-wide shortage on the popular antibiotic amoxicillin as well as child pain relievers like Tylenol and Advil.