Acre, Brazil confronting ICU bed scarcity and surge in infant respiratory fatalities

The Acre State Health Secretariat (Sesacre) reported on June 26 that hospitals in Rio Branco are operating with very limited intensive‑care capacity. At Hospital Infantil Iolanda Costa, four pediatric ICU and four intermediate‑care beds are available out of a total of 70 beds. The Hospital de Urgência e Emergência (Huerb) has only one vacancy in ICU 1 (1 of 17 beds) and two in ICU 2 (2 of 10 beds). Fundhacre’s obstetric ICU shows four free spots, while the Instituto Nacional de Traumatologia e Ortopedia (INTO) has five ICU beds open. Santa Juliana Hospital has just a single ICU vacancy.

In the same period, Sesacre’s Epidemiological Bulletin 21 highlighted a critical shift in severe acute respiratory syndrome (SRAG) mortality. Deaths among children under two rose to nine in 2026 – the highest in three years – compared with three in 2024 and five in 2025. Elderly deaths fell dramatically, from 67 in 2024 to 15 in 2026, dropping their share of SRAG fatalities from 51.5% to 30%. Overall, patients aged 0‑19 accounted for 52% of SRAG deaths in 2026, with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) identified as the leading pathogen. The bulletin urges stronger epidemiological monitoring, expanded pediatric ICU capacity, and intensified vaccination efforts.