The Association for Intensive Care (DIVI in German acronym) pointed out that the seasonal increase in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases and the shortage of nursing specialists are causing a “catastrophic situation” in hospitals.
RSV is a common and highly contagious virus that affects almost all infants and children under two years of age, and some can become seriously ill.
Experts say easing restrictions used to combat the Covid-19 pandemic could increase the number of infants and children with RSV whose immune systems are ill-equipped to fight the virus.
According to the same source, hospitalists are now faced with very difficult decisions about which sick children to admit to the hospital due to a shortage of available beds.
In some cases, patients with RSV and other serious conditions are transferred to hospitals in parts of Germany where intensive care resources are still limited.
A recent study revealed that there are fewer than a hundred beds for children across the country, and the association warned that the situation could worsen.
Sebastian Brenner, head of the pediatric intensive care unit at Dresden University Hospital, told German television channel N-Tv that the situation could worsen in the coming weeks: “We are observing this in Switzerland and France,” he added. The risks of available treatments become even rarer.
Germany’s Health Minister, Karl Lauterbach, announced today that the government is easing some regulations and providing an additional €600 million to children’s hospitals over the next two years to facilitate the transfer of nursing specialists.
In November, the European Commission approved the world’s first single-dose drug to treat RSV.
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