COVID- Backlash: Flu-like symptoms among children jump

Panicky parents, screaming children, overworked health professionals trying to navigate crowded hospitals. This scene is not unusual at this time of the year, but health officials in China, sections of Europe, and Jamaica are saying the current wave of viral infections and respiratory illnesses attacking especially children, is the worst they have ever seen.

Following two to three years of COVID-19 lockdowns, mask-wearing, and around-the-clock sanitization of public spaces, viral illnesses are now spreading with a vengeance. Heartbreaking images of children connected to intravenous lines in overcrowded hospital waiting rooms in China have gone viral, and the frustrated cries of parents clutching sick children at the Bustamante Hospital for Children and other health facilities here in Jamaica have caused concerns.

“Currently, the doctors are inundated with multiple cases of all of the viral illnesses that are circulating at this time,” president of the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association (JMDA), Dr. Mindi Fitz-Henley told the Freedom Come Rain newspaper. 

Coupled with the increase in respiratory illnesses, the country is battling a dengue fever outbreak and sporadic cases of conjunctivitis (pink eye), and hand, foot, and mouth disease.

Jamaica had on record 3,147 suspected, presumed, and confirmed dengue cases up to November 8. Of this number 870 were confirmed, which is extremely high when compared to previous outbreaks in 2019 (179) and 2016 (190 cases). Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has also advised Jamaicans not to go to public hospitals unless absolutely necessary, as several major hospitals are now experiencing overcrowding and longer wait time. He has instructed persons to go to the health centres instead.

“This is a confusing time for parents, because not only do we have dengue, we also have the regular flu symptoms hitting us,” said medical officer for St. Catherine, Dr Francia Prosper-Chen.

The doctor told the Freedom Come Rain newspaper that based on her observations, parents are doing their best to follow the prescribed guidelines, but are understandably frustrated when their children are not recovering as quickly as expected. It is especially frightening for parents to deal with those children with high fevers.

“At the health centres, we are managing as best as we can. We do have extended clinic services in the evening, from 4 to 8, in some of our major health centres in order for us to be better able to provide adequate services to persons who cannot come during the course of the day,” she said, while pointing out that there are 27 health centres in St. Catherine; however, one is a dental clinic.

While the health facilities could do well with more nurses in light of the current health crisis, Dr Prosper-Chen commended those who continue to go above and beyond to offer care.

“We know globally there is a nursing shortage and we know Jamaica has been impacted by it because a lot of our nurses have chosen to look to what they perceive as greener pastures and we can’t stop them, but the nurses who are working with us, are committed to providing as much as is possible for the people we serve and I have to commend them. We do not have enough, but they are able to manage,” she said.

Dr Fitz Henley noted that the shortage of doctors in the health sector has resulted in the current medical team being overworked. She is hoping that the advertisement for more doctors in recent times will result in increased manpower in the hospitals and health centres soon.

“The doctors are doing their best. There are some clinics that are running extended hours, so you can imagine the doctors are now having to work extra periods of time which also means distance from their family, distance from their kids, so it’s quite difficult for them, but nevertheless, we are devoted to caring for the well-being of Jamaicans, especially the children, because we know that they are the ones that are suffering the most at this time,” she said.
The mysterious jump in pneumonia cases, especially among children in China, has attracted international attention because the coronavirus pandemic had started to spread in that country before blossoming into a global nightmare for governments and health officials. Since the unprecedented outbreak of the mysterious illness in China, Europe has also witnessed a rise in pneumonia cases. The Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL) reported that pneumonia cases increased to 130 per 100,000 children in the week leading up to November 26. At its peak last year, that number was 58 per 100,000 children. It is not yet known whether the cases in the Netherlands are linked to the uptick seen in China.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) in a press release said it has been monitoring data from Chinese surveillance systems that have been showing an increase in respiratory illness in children in northern China since mid-October.

“Chinese authorities attributed this increase to lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and the arrival of the cold season, and due to circulating known pathogens such as influenza, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Mycoplasma pneumonia and RSV are known to affect children more than adults,” the WHO noted.

According to the Centres for Disease Control (CDC), influenza activity in the United States during the 2022–23 season (October 2, 2022–September 9, 2023) was classified as having moderate severity and was characterised by activity that returned to pre-COVID-19 levels but occurred earlier than usual. Among children, the season was classified as high severity.

“Among children and adolescents, the percentages of influenza symptomatic illness, medically attended illnesses, and hospitalizations were higher during the 2022-2023 season compared to pre-COVID-19 pandemic seasons.  Children aged 5-17 years accounted for 28% of symptomatic illnesses, 31% of medically attended illnesses, and 7% of hospitalizations.  These percentages were 5-10% higher than the 2019/20 season,” the data-gathering agency noted.

The CDC said it has been monitoring increases in respiratory illnesses reported recently around the world, including in China and several European countries.