Spike in kids hospitalised with pneumonia, GP urges pandemic 'etiquettes'

Pneumonia is a lung infection, usually caused by bacteria or a virus, and can make it hard to breathe.

Latest hospital data showed 227 cases of pneumonia among patients under 18 in March and April, whereas only 47 cases were recorded in the same period in 2023.

Additionally, hospital presentations and admissions due to respiratory viruses, across all age groups, have increased this year.

Between January 1 and April 30, there were 1184 "notifications" of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in the ACT, as compared to 513 cases in 2023.

Notifications refer to a positive lab test for a person in hospital or in the community.

While some of the conditions that may cause pneumonia are notifiable conditions, such as influenza and RSV, pneumonia as a diagnosis is not a notifiable condition in Canberra.

"ACT Health does not routinely collect data on the number of pneumonia cases in the community," an ACT government spokesperson said.

They said the significant increase in pneumonia presentations even before the start of flu season was likely due to increased testing rather than community incidence.

"Both influenza and RSV are expected to increase as we continue to move into the colder months," the spokesperson said.

Infections in kids under five, school staff

A general practice in Philip has particularly noticed a higher number of chest X-rays indicating pneumonia in sick patients under five years old.

"Autumn is considered to be the healthy season where we don't have too many lung infections or flu-like symptoms, but certainly there's one or two [cases of] pneumonia that we're diagnosing every week in very young children," Dr Nik Jaiswal said.

He said doctors at several other general practices in Canberra had similar observations and had witnessed infections spreading in the wider community.

As a result, ACT schools are also expecting staff shortages due to seasonal illness in Term 2.

In a letter from the Education Directorate, parents were warned about changes to school management because of short-term absences.

The letter stated temporary adjustments such as changes to school timetables, fewer extracurricular activities, and teachers using online educational resources could be introduced.

"I would like to remind you that vaccination is one of the key protections against illness for our community. I encourage everyone who can, to get vaccinated for the seasonal flu and COVID-19," director general Katy Haire wrote.

"If your child becomes unwell, please do not send them to school until their symptoms have resolved."

Lax attitudes towards "etiquettes" like frequent handwashing and coughing or sneezing into the elbow are contributing to rising sickness, according to Dr Jaiswal.

He felt people were no longer meticulous about their health and said fewer were booking flu or COVID-19 shots.

"Two or three years ago when we had COVID-19, everybody was meticulous. You might have noticed nobody wears masks nowadays ... it's becoming a distant memory," he said.

An ACT government spokesperson also said COVID-19 did not have a predictable seasonal pattern yet.

"Case numbers in the ACT are currently low and have generally been decreasing since November 2023," they said.

There were 107 COVID-19 cases and 22 hospitalisations between May 3 to 9. In the week prior, there were 69 cases and 10 hospitalisations which included two people in intensive care, one of whom needed a ventilator.