“This thing was a monster that crept up on us, faster than I could believe,” said Angela Sielski of Metuchen. Her three-year-old son, Paulie, spent four days in a pediatric intensive care unit; he needed forced oxygen to breathe after being diagnosed with rhinovirus and enterovirus.
State officials say that New Jersey is among several states experiencing a surge in pediatric cases for both respiratory diseases, sending so many kids to hospital that, in some areas, they’re at capacity. Hospitals are working together to find enough pediatric ICU beds for seriously ill kids.
Dr. Uzma Hasan of RWJ Barnabas Health (an underwriter of NJ Spotlight News) warned, “Kids who are asthmatics or who have chronic underlying lung disease are at risk for severe illness … Make sure you are adequately stocked on their inhaler supplies. And recognize signs of breathing difficulty in your child.”
