New Mexico issues health emergency order due to RSV spike in kids

Nathan Brown, The Santa Fe New Mexican
·2 min read
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Dec. 2—The state Department of Health has issued a public health emergency order in response to an ongoing surge in children being hospitalized for respiratory syncytial virus — RSV — and other respiratory viruses.

The order requires all New Mexico hospitals to work together to "reactivate and participate in a 'hub and spoke' model of resource management to ensure patients are transferred to appropriate levels of care," the department said in a news release Thursday.

"We expand our social networks during the holidays, which is an important part of nurturing ourselves as human beings living in a complex world," said acting Health Department Secretary Dr. David Scrase.

"However, at the same time we create more opportunities for respiratory viruses to spread. It's important to take steps to reduce the risk for respiratory viruses by practicing the good health and hygiene habits we've learned over the past few years as New Mexico nurses, doctors and hospital staff are facing another surge."

Scrase's order says the state has a shortage of pediatric providers and other health care staff due to the corornavirus pandemic, and the state's hospitals are short on both available beds and equipment such as oxygen supply systems, endotracheal tubes and pediatric oxygen converter kits.

The "hub and spoke" model, the order says, was used during the pandemic and "allowed hospital systems to work cooperatively to expedite the transfer of patients to higher levels of care based on their given acuity levels."

The order also recommends children showing RSV symptoms stay home from school and day care, and New Mexican families get their flu and coronavirus vaccines and boosters.

It also asks people to "exercise additional precautions this holiday season to prevent transmission of RSV, including wearing masks in indoor public settings and not meeting with friends or family when experiencing respiratory disease symptoms."

New Mexico saw a significant increase in RSV cases in October and November, in addition to an increase in cases associated with COVID-19, influenza and other respiratory illnesses.

The Health Department said New Mexico, Texas and Tennessee are seeing the highest flu rates in the country.