Alberta pediatric doctors plead for proactive approach to reduce viral transmission in youth

According to the Alberta Medical Association’s (AMA) pediatric division, the province currently has the highest pediatric flu activity in the country and they hope a solution to bring those numbers down is at hand.

Respiratory syncytial virus, commonly known as RSV, is wreaking havoc among children in Canada with levels that are “higher than average.” According to the AMA, RSV-associated hospitalizations in children in the US have increased compared to pre-pandemic years.

In a news release, the AMA said that numbers within the Immunization Monitoring Program Active (IMACT) network show that the amount of weekly flu-related pediatric hospitalizations in Canada is already higher than the levels typically seen at the height of the flu season.

With this in mind, pediatric doctors are recommending that rapid changes be made around Alberta health measures to reduce the number of RSV cases and to have a proactive approach rather than a reactive approach that is currently flooding emergency room departments.

The first recommendation involves an increase in public health messaging when it comes to the effectiveness and safety of vaccines for both the flu and for COVID-19. Along with explaining to the public that the vaccine will not only prevent you from getting a viral infection, but will also help reduce the chance of serious outcomes or hospitalization.

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RSV awareness

This is something that the president of the pediatric department, Dr. Sam Wong said it should be done for everyone throughout the province.

“As vaccines reduce the chance of serious outcomes and hospitalizations in children, we call on public health officials to provide greater messaging about the safety and effectiveness of both influenza and COVID-19 vaccines for children, and to increase accessibility to these ensure vaccines for all populations,” said Dr. Wong.

Other recommendations include:

• Increased accessibility to vaccines, especially among marginalized populations by offering school vaccine clinics or mobile vaccine services,
• A temporary mask requirement in schools for children and educators with the provision of high quality medical grade masks,
• Approving and supporting the placement of HEPA purifiers in school classrooms,
• Increased messaging around optimizing ventilation and filtration when holding indoor gatherings by opening windows or using HEPA purifiers when possible,
• Encouraging frequent hand washing, access to disinfectant and disinfection of high-touch surfaces in schools and essential indoor public spaces; and
• Increased messages around staying home from work and school when sick.

The AMA wrote a letter to Dr. Mark Joffe, Alberta’s acting chief medical officer of health, sent a message calling for these measures to be implemented.

Joffe’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but he sent a letter to parents on Nov. 23 recommending flu shots for children six months and older. He also encouraged masks, but added it was a choice that should be respected.

Joffe, also a senior manager at Alberta Health Services, has not spoken publicly since becoming Dr. Deena Hinshaw’s replacement was not brought in.

“COVID-19 continues to contribute to pediatric hospitalizations, with three times more children in the age group of one to nine years hospitalized with COVID-19 in the first eight months of 2022 than in the entire 20 months prior,” Dr. Tehseen Ladha, executive member of the AMA’s section of pediatrics said.

“This is why we recommend immediate mitigation measures.”

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The measures listed will provide “some much-needed relief” to pediatricians currently supporting the wave according to the AMA.

“These protections will help prevent the spread of multiple viral diseases, including RSV, influenza and COVID-19, which are increasing at alarming rates in our community and leading to increased school absenteeism as well as unprecedented wait times in Emergency Departments and overcapacity pediatric inpatients. and outpatient units throughout the province,” said Dr. Kyle McKenzie, another AMA executive member of the pediatric division, said.

The pediatric section represents more than 300 members of the AMA.

—with files from the Canadian Press

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