There are fewer healthy youth visiting Greene County hospitals this week, after the county’s health department implemented visitor restrictions to protect from the flu.
With confirmed flu cases climbing at historic rates, officials opted to prevent children ages 14 and under that are not seeking medical treatment from visiting the area’s hospitals. The rule went into effect on Tuesday and will continue until further notice, the department said in a news release.
“Because of the high-risk nature of this age group, we are asking they not visit for the protection of our patients, hospital staff and the children themselves,” the release states.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended visitor restrictions nationally as well.
The Greene County Health Department said that 455 people were found to have the flu from December 14-20. That included 436 with Influenza A and 9 with Influenza B. That’s up from 217 cases reported during the week of Dec. 7-13.
The health department provided the following tips and instructions:
CDC always recommends 3 steps to fighting flu:
- Take time to get a flu vaccine—even if it proves to be less effective this year, some protection is better than none.
- Take everyday preventive actions like covering coughs and sneezes, staying away from sick people and washing your hands often to help stop the spread of respiratory viruses including flu.
- If you do get the flu, taking antiviral drugs prescribed by your doctor can lessen the severity and discomfort of the flu.
Reminders about getting vaccinated:
- Everyone over the age of 6 months is recommended to be vaccinated
- Even if you got vaccinated last year, it is important to get vaccinated again this year to protect from changing flu viruses.
- There has been some evidence nationally that a strain of H3N2 has mutated, making this year’s vaccine less effective against that specific virus. It is currently unknown if that virus has appeared in Springfield. Regardless, the flu vaccine should still be a top priority.
- Talk to your doctor about getting your vaccine if you have any health concerns
- It’s easier than ever to get vaccinated. Http://www.flu.gov/ has an interactive map showing the various locations where vaccine is available. Many locations in Springfield don’t require an appointment.
Beyond vaccination, here are other steps to prevent flu:
- Washing your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and then wash your hands with soap as soon as you are able.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. This is how germs are spread.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- If you are sick, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone, without using fever-reducing medicine. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Call your doctor or health care provider if you have questions about illness.
More information on the flu, including weekly updates on Greene County numbers and the latest from the CDC, is available on the Springfield-Greene County Health Department’s website at http://health.springfieldmo.gov.