Summary

In Week 19 (May 7–13), which included two public holidays (Tuesday, May 8, and Thursday, May 11), total emergency department activity increased among children (+9%, +7,804 visits) and adults (+9%, +25,044 visits). Hospitalizations following visits rose slightly among children aged 2–14 and adults aged 15–74 (by 6% and 5%, respectively, or 287 and 1,822 hospitalizations)

In line with overall activity, seasonal conditions are, for the most part, on the rise among children and adults. Of particular note is the sharp increase in visits for insect bites and hyperthermia/heatstroke (up 87% and 144%, respectively, or 685 and 78 visits), as well as the rise in visits for allergies and infectious conjunctivitis (up 11% and 15%, respectively, or 277 and 221 visits). The share of activity associated with these conditions in the overall activity is higher than in the previous two years. There was also an increase in visits for chickenpox among children under 2 years of age (+34%, or 71 more visits).

Among non-specific indicators, there was an increase in visits for dehydration (+26%, or 23 visits) and malaise (+19%, or 96 visits) among children, as well as an increase in isolated fever among adults aged 15–74 (+15% and +15%, respectively, or 358 and 130 visits).

Among the most common conditions, there was an increase in visits for abdominal pain and gastroenteritis among children aged 2–14 (up 12% and 17%, respectively), as well as an increase in visits for ENT infections among children aged 2–14 and adults aged 15–74 (up 17% and 13%, respectively). Among the latter group, visits for skin and subcutaneous infections (+12%) and urinary tract infections (+13%) also increased. Finally, there was also an increase in visits for abdominal pain among people aged 75 and older (+13%).