Unusually high rates of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, continue to fill pediatric units in hospitals around Alaska, marking a nasty cold and flu season that still hasn't reached its peak.
"All the hospitals are full of sick, wheezing kids," said Dr. Matt Hirschfeld, a pediatrician at Alaska Native Medical Center who sits in on daily, statewide hospital calls focused on pediatric care capacity.
Hirschfeld, who has been working as a doctor in Alaska for 18 years, said that while winter outbreaks of cold, flu and other respiratory illnesses occur annually in the state, "this is much worse than it has been in the past."
