Saturday, Sep. 05, 2009

Swine flu leads Upstate hospitals to curb visits

School-age children being restricted because of H1N1 virus outbreaks in schools

With the swine flu virus spreading quickly among South Carolina students, several Upstate hospitals have asked youngsters not to visit hospitalized family members or friends.

Midlands hospitals have yet to restrict visitation, but such a move is under consideration at most hospitals, health care officials said Friday.

Young people have been particularly susceptible to the H1N1 virus, and the number of suspected cases has grown as schools opened. While the symptoms seldom are severe among healthy young people, the virus can be dangerous for those with existing health problems — such as people already in hospitals or people who come in contact with health care workers.

Self Regional Healthcare in Greenwood on Friday began restricting visits by those 18 and younger. Earlier in the week, the Greenville Hospital System took the same step for its Children’s Hospital. The Bon Secours St. Francis Health System in Greenville set age restrictions at 16.

“This is something everybody is looking at across the country,” said Dr. Rick Foster, vice president for quality and patient safety at the S.C. Hospital Association. “The main driver is the fact that H1N1 is affecting children and young adults more than seasonal flu.”

In the Midlands, Palmetto Health, Providence Hospital and Lexington Medical Center officials have yet to restrict young visitors, though they stress sick children should come to the hospitals only as patients.

Staff members at Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital have begun to wear masks to protect the workers as well as the patients, said Palmetto Health spokeswoman Christie Johnson.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control haven’t included hospital visitation policies among their H1N1 guidelines, so it’s up to the individual operators, Foster said.

“If they see a pattern and intensity of cases, they make that decision,” she said.

In Greenwood, Self Regional reacted in part to reports that as many as 10 percent of students at some local schools were absent this week.

“Because the H1N1 virus is a novel strain, immunity does not exist in our population,” said Nancy Lumley, epidemiologist at Self Regional. “Therefore, all of us are at risk of getting this flu strain.

“While we realize this (visitation restriction) is an inconvenience, the health and safety of our patients is our top priority.”

The policy could remain in effect for weeks or months, she said.

Some hospitals have begun asking visitors in high-risk areas to wear face masks, especially young people.

“They are doing everything possible to minimize the threat” both to patients and to visitors, Foster said. “We don’t want to raise concerns, but we don’t want a larger outbreak because we didn’t take these steps.”

Swine flu symptoms include high fever, headache, cough, runny nose, lethargy and diarrhea. It’s similar to seasonal flu seen every year, but it doesn’t seem to linger as long. Many victims have reported feeling better within three to five days.

Reach Holleman at (803) 771-8366.

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