Stephanie Coleman, Gleaner Writer
THE NUMBER of gastro-enteritis cases at the Bustamante Hospital for Children has reached into the thousands since the start of the year, according to Beverly Neeham, the hospital's chief executive officer.
"We have been seeing an unusually high number of gastro-enteritis cases since the start of the year, more so it has peaked round about the last three weeks," she said in an interview with The Gleaner/Power106 News Centre, on Friday. "In fact, since the first of January we've seen 2,325 cases."
Traditionally gastro-enteritis cases are present all year long, but tend to peak twice a year.
"The numbers are seasonally up. Gastro-enteritis has two peak seasons, the winter season starts in December and peaks in February and March and the summer season starts in June and ends in August," said a medical officer at the Kingston and St. Andrew Health Department.
However, Ms. Neeham says the the situation at the children's hospital is critical.
MOVE TO CLEAR BACKLOG
"Waiting time has increased for accident and emergency area and also for admissions on the ward. What we have been doing is asking doctors who work on the night shift to come in a little earlier to help clear the backlog that is there," she said.
Dr. Lambert Ennis, acting senior medical officer at the Bustamante Hospital for Children, said that, between Thursday night and Friday afternoon, more than 100 patients with moderate to severe gastro-enteritis came into the hospital seeking treatment.
The disease is not confined to the metropolitan area as reports from the Spanish Town Hospital paint a grim picture for St. Catherine as well.
"We are seeing an unusually high increase in the number of cases. It is always young children who are affected, but we are seeing more adults than usual," said an emergency-room doctor at the Spanish Town Hospital.
Though she could not state specific figures the doctor said that, from her observation, more adult cases are coming in. The doctor, who wished to remain anonymous, said the rotavirus usually causes gastro-enteritis. However, the strain of the virus may vary.
"We cannot say if it is the common year-to-year strain or if it is a stronger strain," she said.
