Hospitals urge using caution when visiting
patients during influenza season.
Area hospitals are again asking visitors to use
caution before coming to the hospital to check on a loved one. At Phelps
Memorial Health Center, Holdrege, the signs restricting visitors are
posted on all the doors.
"If you or someone you live with is ill, please do not visit anyone in
the hospital,"said Laurie Raboin, Infection Control Coordinator at
Phelps Memorial. "Also, children shouldn’t accompany their parents on a
casual visit to the hospital this time of year. Children are especially
susceptible to RSV and we hope to keep the spreading of RSV to a
minimum."
PMHC is gearing up for what could be a busy time of year, as they know
more influenza, colds and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) will show
up.
"If you have any influenza symptoms at all, including runny nose, cough,
fever, head ache, body aches, nausea or vomiting, please stay home,”
said Ms. Raboin. “The only visit you should be making is to your
doctor’s clinic."
By asking visitors to stay away, PMHC hopes to stop the spread of the
respiratory diseases that are prevalent right now.
Dr. Bill Sandy, internal medicine physician at Family Medical
Specialties, Holdrege, said that his clinic is seeing a lot of influenza
and Mycoplasma infection this year.
"These sicknesses are spread mostly by droplets,"Dr. Sandy said. "which
is coughs, sneezing and people continuously putting their hands to their
mouths."
He recommended careful hand washing to keep the germs from continuing to
spread.
"People cough into their hands, and then whatever they touch is
infected," he said. "This is a time to be extra clean and practice
frequent hand washings. I think this is a vastly underutilized method of
staying well."
He also recommended staying away from sick people and washing
immediately after touching anything or anyone that could be infected.
Ms. Raboin also warns people to stay away from hospitalized people or
those in nursing homes. |
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