If you or a family member is currently ill, please refrain from visiting until you feel better. By following this simple guideline, those hospitalized will have a greater chance of avoiding the transmission of your illness. The Health Center would also like to share some health care information to help you cope with the flu season.
Influenza, or the “flu,” is a contagious respiratory illness that is caused by the influenza virus. When people with the flu cough, sneeze, or talk, droplets of moisture from these actions can be inhaled and can infect people up to six feet away.
Unlike the common cold, the flu can come on abruptly. Flu symptoms include a high fever of up to 104 degrees and extreme fatigue. An individual may also suffer from a sore throat, nasal congestion, headache, muscle aches and a cough. Some children may exhibit vomiting and diarrhea.
Most individuals who get the flu will recover in a few days to less than two weeks, but some individuals will develop complications, such as pneumonia, as a result of the flu. Pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinus and ear infections are three examples of complications from the flu. When complicated by pneumonia, flu is the fourth leading cause of death in patients 65 and older. In nursing homes where the elderly and chronically ill live in close quarters, fatalities can range as high as 30 percent of those infected by the virus.
Individuals in the following high-risk groups should take extra precautions during the flu season:
- anyone 65 or older;
- residents of long-term care facilities;
- adults or children with chronic pulmonary or cardiopulmonary disorders;
- adults or children with metabolic disorders, hemoglobinopathies or renal dysfunction;
- immunosuppressed children or adults, such as premature infants and cancer patients undergoing radiation or chemotherapy; and
- children and teenagers on long-term aspirin therapy.
Hand washing plays a very important role in prevention of the flu. Individuals should wash their hands frequently for at least twenty seconds using soap and warm water. If soap and water isn’t available you should use an alcohol based hand sanitizer.
In the event that you catch the flu virus, it is recommended that you get plenty of rest and drink plenty of fluids. If the symptoms prevail, consult your family physician or get treatment at Elk Regional’s Med Express Center in Ridgway that is open from 9 am until 7 p.m., seven days a week; or Q Care that is located on the St. Marys campus in the Medical Office Building. Q Care is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Our goal at Elk Regional Health Center is to keep our patients safe from the flu and prevention is the key.
