Intensive care doctors in Germany have warned that pediatric wards in the country’s hospitals are approaching crisis, in part due to a rise in the number of respiratory infections in babies, The Guardian reports.

Intensive care association DIVI said this seasonal increase in respiratory syncytial virus cases and a shortage of nurses was causing a “catastrophic situation” in hospitals.

RSV is a common, highly contagious virus that infects almost all infants and young children under the age of two, some of whom can become seriously ill. Experts say the easing of restrictions on the coronavirus means RSV is affecting more babies and children whose immune systems are not ready to fight it off.

Cases of RSV and other respiratory diseases have also increased in the UK and US, which are also suffering from shortages of antiviral drugs and antibiotics.

In Germany, hospital doctors are forced to make difficult decisions about which children to place in intensive care beds, of which there are a limited number. In some cases, children with RSV or other serious illnesses are transferred to hospitals in other areas of Germany where beds are available.

DIVI says a recent survey showed there are fewer than 100 available pediatric beds in the country and that the situation could worsen.

“If the forecasts are correct, the situation will intensify significantly in the coming days and weeks,” said Sebastian Brenner, head of the pediatric intensive care unit at Dresden University Hospital.

“We see it in France, for example, and in Switzerland. If this happens, there will be bottlenecks in treatment,” he warned.

Others warned that in some cases, doctors could no longer provide the emergency care that some children needed.

“The situation is so dangerous that we end up saying that children are dying because we can no longer treat them,” said Dr. Michael Sasse, head of the pediatric intensive care unit at the MHH University Hospital in Hannover.

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