Hospitals See Surge In Kids With Respiratory Problems
MINNEAPOLIS (AP/WCCO) -- Hospitals in the Twin Cities said they've been unusually busy treating children with severe respiratory problems that match the symptoms of an uncommon virus that's sickened children in at least a dozen Midwest states.
The Minnesota Department of Health said it still has not confirmed the presence of enterovirus 68 in the state.
But the region's largest pediatric hospital system, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, said it had to divert six patients to another hospital this week because its beds are full of kids with severe respiratory symptoms.
Chief nursing officer Roxanne Fernandes said their emergency departments treated 90 children with severe symptoms on Wednesday. She said they would normally see about 20 children for breathing problems this time of year.
She said some children describe it like "an elephant is sitting on my chest."
Hospitals See Surge In Kids With Respiratory Problems
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