NORFOLK, Va. — New data from the Virginia Department of Health shows flu-like illness activity is "very high" right now. That has snowballed from the beginning of October when health experts reported minimal activity.
Katie Halterman told 13News Now her 2-year-old son Brandon came down with RSV in mid-October. She said his symptoms worsened after his first doctor's visit.
“He was just working really hard to breathe,” Halterman said.
Halterman’s family lives four hours from Norfolk. She said doctors sent her son to a Richmond hospital, where he had to go on a ventilator. From there, they life-flighted him to Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters.
“Just seeing my baby with a tube in his mouth was the worst thing ever,” Halterman said.
CHKD Chief Medical Officer Dr. Chris Foley said hospitals across the region are swamped with respiratory illness cases. Recently, he said CHKD staff started turning away patients from outside Hampton Roads.
“We get calls from Richmond, Salisbury, Maryland, farther out into North Carolina,” Dr. Foley said. “Virtually every 12 hours or so there are people looking for those beds because the entire area is saturated from a pediatric beds standpoint.”
He said flu cases are keeping staff extra busy.
“RSV is still a big factor, but flu has really surged in the last three weeks,” Dr. Foley said. “Our private practices, as well as our urgent cares and our emergency rooms, are seeing basically a tripling of the amount of flu that we were seeing before.”
When it comes to respiratory infections, Dr. Foley said children under four months of age and people with underlying illnesses are most at risk. But he said the infections are hitting toddlers like Brandon hard due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They are seeing these viruses for the first time,” Dr. Foley said. “So, they are getting pretty sick even though they should be able to handle it as a cold because there is no immunity.”
Dr. Foley said you should take your child to the doctor if they are having difficulty breathing, turning blue or gray, not sleeping, or refusing to eat or drink.
“We want you to follow your instinct,” Dr. Foley said. “If you are worried about your child, don’t worry about it at home by yourself, ask people. Make sure you are getting the info you need.”
Halterman said Brandon came home last week. He's starting to run around again, but she said he still has some recovery ahead.
“Anytime my children get sick from here on out, I am taking them right to the doctor,” Halterman said. “I never ever want to go through this again, and I really hope no other parent has to.”
Recently, the VDH reported 20% of patients going to the emergency room or urgent care for the flu are children four years and younger. CHKD lists tips and warning signs for parents dealing with a sick child.