McMaster Children’s Hospital sees increased RSV cases as school resumes

McMaster Children’s Hospital (MCH) says it is seeing an increase in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases and expects numbers to rise as children return to school.

Hamilton Health Services (HHS) says RSV admissions have more than tripled from November to December.

A statement from HHS says that the number of positive cases seen in the hospital emergency room and wards have more than doubled in Dec. 2024, compared to Dec. 2023.

“The emergency department at MCH is becoming busier as we head deeper into the winter season, and RSV is coming through the doors more often than not,” reads Dr. Jeffrey Pernica, an infectious disease specialist at MCH in the statement.

Health services is reminding parents to protect their children by getting the RSV immunization, which is available at clinics at McMaster Children’s Hospital and West Lincoln Memorial Hospital for infants under one year old.

Symptoms of the virus begin with those similar to a cold but can cause serious breathing problems if untreated.

The RSV virus can cause serious illness in newborns and young infants according to Pernica.

“Because infants – especially young infants – are so much smaller, RSV infection can cause difficulty breathing, which often prompts a trip to the emergency department and can cause admission to hospital or even hospitalization within the intensive care unit,” they said.

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