KINGSTON, Jamaica – A sharp increase in Severe Acute Respiratory Illnesses (SARI) has led to severe overcrowding at the Bustamante Hospital for Children as well as the Spanish Town Hospital.

The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, said the increase is significantly more than the numbers that were seen at the height of COVID-19 in 2021, when the highest admission at the similar time of year was nine children per week.

“This year, the current admission is 44 per cent above what we saw during COVID-19 in 2021. Our current report from the Bustamante Hospital for Children is that medicine wards are above capacity at 111 per cent. Additionally, there are at least an average of six patients in the Accident and Emergency Department who are awaiting admission nightly. This has worsened our current staffing challenges and has significantly impacted the work environment within the facility,” Tufton shared in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

He said the Spanish Town Hospital was also seeing a significant increase in admissions and overcrowding.

“Over the weekend, the paediatric numbers indicate that there were 35 admissions, with another 15 children awaiting admission in Accident and Emergency. The occupancy of the paediatric wards has been persistently at greater than 100 per cent. Admissions of the general paediatric ward increased by 53 per cent, with 98 patients in August and 150 in September. Over the last four weeks, there has been a significant increase in the daily pediatric respiratory/asthmatic cases at the hospital,” the minister said.

He told the House that the Epidemiological Surveillance System has indicated that Jamaica is in the influenza season. This, he said, is evidenced by the fact that SARI have passed the seasonal threshold.

“Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw between 19 and 21 SARI admissions each week at the six SARI sentinel sites across all health regions,” Tufton pointed out. These sites are Cornwall Regional Hospital, Mandeville Regional Hospital, St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital, Kingston Public Hospital, University Hospital of the West Indies, and the Bustamante Hospital for Children.

He said that in the four weeks from September 25 to October 22, the number of SARI admissions increased from four to 19, which represents a more than 400 per cent increase in the reported admissions at the sentinel sites.

The minister highlighted that increased SARI admissions are mainly among children, in particular children younger than six months old and those two to four years old. Over the last two weeks, admissions were significantly greater than usually observed. The Bustamante Hospital for Children is now seeing 13 cases of SARI weekly, up from four.

Tufton said the Ministry of Health and Wellness has taken note of the international trends in respiratory illnesses, especially among children. He pointed to a substantial increase in cases in the United States and Canada, including of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild flu-like symptoms, and most people recover within a week.

“However, it may cause serious illness, especially in young children and the elderly, who may be affected by bronchiolitis (inflammation of the airways in the lung) and pneumonia (infection of the lung). It may also worsen chronic lung diseases, such as asthma,” Tufton noted.

He said that from observing what is happening in the USA and Canada, the health and wellness ministry has begun the work to assess whether our current trends have any correlation to the international experience.

To this end, the National Public Health Laboratory has begun to prepare samples to be sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency for PCR testing for the presence of RSV within the population.

And, effective Sunday, October 30, children 12-years-old and younger can access health care at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) free of cost.

Tufton said parents and guardians are encouraged to not only access services at the Bustamante Hospital for Children and the Spanish Town Hospital, but to also, where possible, go to the UHWI for the treatment of their children. He said all cases, including non-SARI cases will be treated at UHWI.

Additionally, specified health centres within the South East Regional Health Authority are to operate extended hours (up to 8:00 pm on weekdays and on Saturdays). This will be made effective as at Thursday, November 3. A list of all the health centres that will operate extended hours will be published by the health and wellness ministry.

And, effective immediately, the National Health Fund pharmacy at the Bustamante Hospital for Children will be open for extended hours up to 10:00 pm.