Other countries in Europe, such as Spain, preceded the Netherlands with the vaccine. The number of hospital admissions of babies there fell by 80 percent. The UMCG hopes that this decline will also be reflected in our country.
Hopeful signals
Every year there is a peak moment when the RS virus is spreading and the children’s ICUs in hospitals are overcrowded. So far, few babies with serious RS infections have been admitted to the UMCG, but according to Knoester it is still too early to cheer. ‘We’ll really know in about three weeks. The peak is always around Christmas. In other countries it did not materialize or was muted. We assume that this will be no different here.’
Pressure on healthcare
For example, it became apparent two years ago that the RS virus can have major consequences. Then operations for children were forced to be canceled at the UMCG in the autumn of 2023 due to peak pressure in the nursing department. This was due to an outbreak of the RS virus, which resulted in many children ending up in hospital.
The hope is that something like this will no longer be necessary now that the vaccine is also available in the Netherlands. But with a long winter still to go, pediatricians are keeping their finger on the pulse.
Also read:
– RS virus causes peak pressure at the UMCG children’s ICU, but a new injection is coming
– UMCG cancels operations on children due to early peak of RS virus
