Respiratory infections are putting pressure on Montreal's pediatric hospitals
Montreal's pediatric hospitals are asking for parents' cooperation as the holiday season approaches, urging them to avoid emergency departments if their child's condition does not require immediate care.
The circulation of respiratory viruses is causing major problems in Quebec's emergency units.
That's particularly the case in Montreal pediatric hospitals, where many toddlers are suffering from complications linked to the respiratory syncytial virus.
The heads of CHU Sainte-Justine and the Montreal Children's Hospital met with media on Wednesday morning for a joint press conference on "the pressure on emergency departments caused by the influx of various infections."
CHU Sainte-Justine Emergency Chief Dr. Antonio D'Angelo and Montreal Children's Hospital Emergency Medical Director Dr. Laurie Plotnick urged parents not to bring their children to the ER if their condition can be treated at home or by another professional.
They recommend calling the 8-1-1 line first, or seeking an appointment at a clinic.
LISTEN ON CJAD 800 RADIO: Patient rights advocate Paul Brunet on deterioration of ER situation
According to data provided by the two establishments, between Nov. 17 and Dec. 1, the rate of emergency patients whose level of prioritization was deemed non-urgent (P4-P5) was 57.73 per cent at the Montreal Children's Hospital and 37.26 per cent at CHU Sainte-Justine.
More specifically, they emphasized that children will catch colds and infections, and run fevers – that's a normal and necessary process for children to build up antibodies. Pediatricians add that as long as a child remains active, breathes well and keeps hydrated, there is no cause for alarm.
However, if a child under six months of age develops a fever or appears lethargic, or has difficulty hydrating or breathing, doctors said not to take any chances and to go to the emergency room.
According to data available on the Health and Social Services Ministry dashboard, the stretcher occupancy rate at the Montreal Children's Hospital ER stood at 158 per cent on Wednesday morning. At CHU Sainte-Justine, the occupancy rate was just 19 per cent.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
At least 4 buildings burned at Jasper Park Lodge, others damaged: Fairmont memo
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge said Thursday afternoon most of its structures are "standing and intact," including its iconic main lodge.
Major Canadian bank dealing with direct deposit outage on pay day
Scotiabank has acknowledged technical difficulties affecting direct deposits as clients report missed payments Friday morning. On Friday morning, the bank's client services phone line was playing an automated message assuring customers that work was underway to rectify the outage.
Elon Musk's estranged daughter calls out his 'entirely fake' claims about her childhood
Vivian Jenna Wilson, Elon Musk's estranged daughter, publicly refuted several recent anti-trans statements her Tesla CEO and X owner father has made about her.
Reported rate of child pornography increased 52% in 2023, total crime up 3%: Statistics Canada
Last year, reported child pornography cases increased by more than 50 per cent in Canada, in part due to more cases being sent to police by specialized internet child exploitation units, according to a Statistics Canada report.
Justin Timberlake's attorney disputes he was intoxicated when arrested for DWI
A hearing in the case of Justin Timberlake being accused of driving while intoxicated was held Friday, where an attorney for the singer disputed his arrest in June.
What we know about 'malicious' attack on French train network ahead of Olympics opening
French transport was thrust into chaos Friday just hours ahead of the Olympics 2024 opening ceremony after a series of co-ordinated 'malicious acts' upended high-speed train lines.Here's what happened and what we know so far.
When Barbie learned what a gynecologist was, so did many other people, according to new study
A new study published Thursday in the journal JAMA Network Open has found that the ending in the 2023 blockbuster film 'Barbie' had an influence on online search interest in terms around gynecology, the branch of medicine that deals with women’s reproductive health.
Canada Soccer head investigating 'systemic ethical shortcoming' amid spying scandal
Canada Soccer chief executive officer Kevin Blue said he was investigating a potential 'systemic ethical shortcoming' within the program but has not considered pulling the women's soccer team from the Paris Olympics due to a drone spying scandal.
Federal government posts $3.9B deficit in April, May
The result for the April-to-May period compared to a $1.5 billion surplus for the same stretch last year.