Kidz First brace for Winter

Jammies for June supporters have been helping keep Kidz First patients warm with new jammies for 14 years. This is because each year, too many children are admitted to Kidz First Hospital with preventable, respiratory illnesses due to cold damp houses.

Kidz First staff are bracing themselves for another tough, busy winter. Beds are already running at over 100% capacity with at least one child in ICU every day and sometimes up to four. The overwhelming admissions are respiratory illness and rheumatic fever, with worrying increases in RSV and asthma.

We caught up with Miriam Manga, Kidz First Nurse Practitioner, and Dr. Richard Matsas, Clinical Director of Kidz First Hospital and Community Health.

Dr Richard told us "This winter is likely to be challenging for the children in our community. Since finishing lockdowns for Covid-19, the usual winter viruses have returned and have tended to stick around all year long. Winter is only going to make them nastier in our community. As a result, we are expecting a busy winter in our hospitals and community healthcare settings".

"We welcome anything that can be done to keep our tamariki safe, and keeping them warm at night is one of them. Being snug and warm will support children’s immune systems to help fight off any viruses that come their way".

In conversation regarding the value of a pair of jammies, Miriam spoke of the joy this gift brings to children admitted to Kidz First, saying "It may seem a small gesture but please know that children's faces light up with joy when they receive a brand new pair of pyjamas given by somebody they have never met".