Holiday family get-togethers are the ideal time for germs to spread, and it’s often children who bear the brunt.
Two children’s emergency rooms in Montreal are overcrowded and doctors are urging parents to seek other alternatives before heading to the E.R.
With flu season in full swing, the Montreal Children’s Hospital saw 330 patients on one day alone this past week.
That’s up from the average 240.
READ MORE: What Canadians should expect from the 2016-17 flu season
“It’s been crazy, I think really that’s been the word to describe,” Dr. Tamara Gafoor, an emergency medicine physician at the hospital, said.
The reason? Many gastroenteritis cases and a particularly tough flu season.
Quebec Public Health confirmed the number of flu cases is on the rise and occupation rates at children’s hospitals in the city are five times higher than in the last five years.
READ MORE: How do you treat the common cold? Here’s what works and what doesn’t
“We’re seeing record numbers of patients coming into our emergency room this year,” Saint-Justine’s hospital emergency pediatrician Dr. Antonio D’Angelo said.
That high traffic is putting a strain on resources and overwhelming doctors.
It’s why they’re recommending parents with children who have caught the flu or gastroenteritis to try other alternatives before they head over to the emergency room.
READ MORE: 7 steps to surviving the cold and flu season without getting sick
“Ask brothers and sisters, family members how they coped with the same thing in other children,” D’Angelo said.
Doctors also recommend calling Info Santé at 811 where nurses can answer your questions.
The Montreal Children’s hospital has a list of available clinics on their website.
When to head to the Emergency Department
Both the Saint-Justine Hospital and the Montreal Children’s Hospital recommend that parents bring their child or teen to the Emergency Department in the following cases:
· Your child is having trouble breathing (for example, he is breathing faster than normal; he is pale; his lips turn white or blue; he is coughing non-stop, choking or breathing irregularly).
· Your child is hurt and may have a broken bone or need stitches.
· Your child hurt himself and is now vomiting.
· Your infant (under three months old) has a fever over 38°C or 100.4°F.
· Your child is feverish and drowsy, and you are having trouble waking him up.
· Your child has a rash and his skin doesn’t turn white if you press on it.
· Your child is vomiting and has diarrhea, is not producing tears, has a very dry mouth and has not urinated more than 2-3 times in the last 24 hours.
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