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Sick as a dog?
You're not alone.
There's been an uptick in influenza activity across metro Richmond, and that has led area hospitals to bar children from visiting patients.
In rules that went into effect on Tuesday this week, visitors must be age 18 or older and healthy, and there may be no more than two adult visitors at a time for any patient. The rules are in effect in Metro Richmond at Bon Secours, HCA Virginia and VCU Health System, and at Southside Regional Medical Center in Petersburg. The guidelines also apply at Central Southside Community Hospital in Farmville and at Southern Virginia Regional Medical Center in Emporia. The facilities are in the Central Virginia Healthcare Coalition.
It’s the first time since 2009 that the guidelines have been evoked. That was in response to the H1N1 swine flu pandemic.
There’s been an influx of people seeking evaluation in the local hospitals. Bon Secours Saint Mary’s Hospital reports an uptick in flu cases in the past couple weeks.
Michael Stevens, associate chair in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine at VCU, says flu activity nationally is at the highest level since that 2009 pandemic. He says flu activity is high throughout the community.
Scott Hickey, medical director of the emergency department at HCA Virginia’s Chippenham Hospital, says that there’s been an increase in the number of people testing positive for flu, even though they had previously received the flu vaccine. That’s because this year’s vaccine offers little protection to the predominant strain that’s showing up at this time, H3N2, says Hickey.
Stevens notes that flu hits the elderly and the very young especially hard. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Jan. 26 reported that there have been 37 deaths among children across the nation from flu this season, including seven in the past week. The CDC also reported that the flu has also been especially severe in people ages 50-64 this year.
There is no cure for flu, but if you have yet to take ill, you can take care of yourself. Hickey recommends getting the flu vaccine, even now; it may shorten the course of the bug if you succumb, and help allay the severity of symptoms.
If you become ill and your flu case is confirmed, Tamiflu may help reduce symptoms.
But most people are best served to stay home while sick. Go through the drill: Get lots of sleep, take products such as Tylenol to allay symptoms and drink plenty of liquids. Stay at home and avoid other people as best you can so you won’t spread your illness.
You may need to get checked out by a doctor if you’re experiencing emergency symptoms including bluish skin color or difficulty breathing.
The CDC reports that there’s been some decline in flu cases on the West Coast, but doctors caution that it’s too soon to predict a peak locally. “No one knows when we will see a drop in activity,” says Stevens.
The visitation guidelines will stay in effect as long as needed. Hickey notes that they are in place to protect everyone, patients, workers and visitors, too. “It’s obviously not meant to be mean-spirited,” he says.
CAPSULES
A roundup of the week’s health and medicine news
- Free dental care to Richmond children in need will be provided on Friday, Feb. 2, courtesy of the Give Kids a Smile campaign. The pediatric dentistry department of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry will stage a clinic from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Lyons Dental Building. A full range of services will be offered, including cleaning and exams, and also fillings, extractions and more complex treatments such as root canals as needed.
- Special-needs trusts are the topic of a presentation by Joanne Marcus, executive director of the Commonwealth Community Trust, at 7 p.m. Wednesday in a meeting of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Central Virginia. The session is free and open to the public, and will be held at the Weinstein Jewish Community Center, 5403 Monument Ave.
Amy Carrier (Photo courtesy Bon Secours Virginia)
- Bon Secours Virginia has made a hire for a new position, chief operating officer, that will be in charge of acute care at the health system’s eight hospitals. Amy Carrier will assume duties in April, according to a release. Carrier comes to Bon Secours after serving as a senior vice president and a hospital president for a WellStar Health System in suburban Atlanta.
