Frederick Street Kindergarten general manager Melody Stuckey says they've seen absences increase. Photo / Warren Buckland
Frederick Street Kindergarten general manager Melody Stuckey says they've seen absences increase. Photo / Warren Buckland
Several Hawke's Bay children have been put into intensive care in hospital in June as a one-in-four year respiratory virus sweeps through early childhood centres and schools.
Some kindergartens and daycares are experiencing sickness levels that are keeping up to 40 per cent of children at home, many for longerthan a week.
Hawke's Bay Hospital paediatrician Daniel Riviere said there had been a surge in children sick with respiratory illnesses needing hospital care with several needing intensive care over the past few weeks.
Riviere said many of the sickest children had all tested positive to RSV, (respiratory syncytial virus), which causes infections of the lungs and airways.
While it was a very common illness, some children could get very sick with pneumonia or bronchiolitis, he said.
"Last year there were no notifications of RSV in Hawke's Bay, but this year there has been a surge, which can happen every four or five years, or it may simply be because there was no illness circulating last year so less children are immune this year," Riviere said.
Several Hawke's Bay children have been put into intensive care in Hawke's Bay Hospital in June due to a respiratory illness. Photo / NZME
"While no-one knows exactly what has caused the surge in illness at the moment, it's very important that sick children are kept warm, in a smoke-free environment at home and if they don't start getting better parents or caregivers need to seek medical advice from a GP, urgent medical centre or call Healthline on 0800 611 116 for advice."
Riviere said RSV usually clears up by itself after a few days, but it can be particularly severe in babies and smaller children, and parents and caregiver should seek medical attention urgently if their baby or child has: audible wheezing sounds, breathing very fast, laboured breathing — the ribs seem to suck inward when the child breathes in, seems very unwell, sluggish or lethargic.
Medical Officer of Health Rachel Eyre said Hawke's Bay DHB was also checking a number of respiratory outbreaks at early childhood education centres and schools, which were likely to be RSV.
She said it was important parents and caregivers understood RSV could be contagious for more than a week (3 to 8 days and ranging up to four weeks) so it was vitally important to stay at home when sick and keep sick children at home, apply cough etiquette by coughing into your elbow, and to wash your hands often.
Lumsden Kindergarten owner and manager Rakelle Ru Bay said respiratory illnesses seemed to be hitting "everyone at the same time".
"Children are absent for longer. This week and last week we probably had about 40 per cent of children absent due to illnesses," she said.
"Coughs this year have been horrendous, and kids are taking longer to shake them off, and longer to recover.
"It would usually take them two to three days, but now some have been away for more than a week already and will probably continue to be away until Thursday."
Ru Bay, whose centre holds 60 children, said Covid last year meant parents were, thankfully, overly cautious with sick children.
"Today [Tuesday] we had 20 absent. Our team appreciate that parents have been more diligent - usually we'd ring them up to pick up a sick kid, but we haven't had to do that at all this year.
