Ontario and Alberta in particular have been hit very hard with an early and really quite explosive influenza season
A flu season that started early, hospitalized far more children than usual and overwhelmed emergency departments has revealed that Canada's health-care system is chronically underfunded when it comes to the most vulnerable citizens, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist says.
A typical flu season sees about 1,000 kids admitted to hospital. Due to pandemic public health measures, he said last season saw only 400 and there were none the season before that. Alex Munter, president of Ottawa pediatric hospital CHEO, said the Red Cross will be helping take some of the pressure off critical-care staff starting this week.
CHEO, including its emergency department and urgent care clinic, is also getting help from pediatricians, family doctors and nurses in the community while some patients are being transferred to adult hospitals, Munter said. Dr. Shazma Mithani, an emergency room doctor at both the Stollery Children's Hospital and Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, said a temporary closure of a pediatric hospice in Calgary is "tragic" as staff are being diverted to a children's hospital.
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