Enterovirus outbreaks flood emergency rooms as parents struggle with vomiting children

Enterovirus infections have surged since August, initially causing digestive problems and now increasingly respiratory symptoms as the weather cools, according to pediatrician Cleopatra Nicolae of the Emergency Department at Spitalul Județean de Urgență Slatina. The shift has resulted in crowded emergency rooms, with half of the cases now respiratory and half digestive, a higher proportion of digestive cases than in previous years.

Parents typically seek care when vomiting persists, dehydration worsens, or they cannot feed the child, prompting hospitalizations that can last up to five days. The doctor advises keeping sick children at home, gradual re-introduction of simple foods, and cautious use of oral rehydration, while noting that most children recover without complications after the acute phase.