Rhiza Labs FluTracker Forum

http://www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/gcdc/flu1011.html

North Carolina reported 6 additional deaths for a total of 28. Five were reported in Week 8 (including one pediatric death) and one was added to Week 7. North Carolina is one of the few states that is reporting adult flu deaths and with pediatric deaths representing 32% (9 of 28) of the deaths, either providers are not as diligent as last year and there have been three times the adult deaths than are reported, or there is something about this season that is particularly deadly for children in NC. The proportion of all deaths from April 2009 through August 2010 in the U.S. that were pediatric was 12%, and that was probably at least an order of magnitude higher than "normal" flu seasons.

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Spike in respiratory illness fills beds in High Point
ArticleComments (0) Thursday, December 29, 2011
By Jonnelle Davis
Staff Writer
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Read other visitors' comments and post your own. Be the first to comment on this story. HIGH POINT — Patients with respiratory illnesses had beds booked at High Point Regional Hospital early Wednesday.

“We’re trying to get folks discharged because we’re at capacity,” said Dale Williams, the hospital’s incoming chief medical officer.

Pneumonia resulting from chronic lung diseases and viral upper respiratory tract infections are among the illnesses driving patients to the hospital, Williams said.

There were eight people in the hospital’s emergency room who were waiting for beds shortly before lunchtime Wednesday, Williams said.

That number had dropped to five by 3 p.m., he said, and the hospital was no longer having to send patients to other medical facilities.

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Advertisement | Advertise with Us Cone Health was not having similar problems, spokesman Doug Allred said. The system has open beds in all major units at each of its facilities, he said.

Williams said the hospital reached its capacity some time early Wednesday morning. There were 14 to 17 patients waiting for beds in the emergency room at one point, he said.

High Point Regional has 247 staffed beds. Williams said doctors have seen an influx of patients with respiratory problems.

“It just seems to be a lot of respiratory illness, particularly in people who have chronic underlying lung disease,” Williams said. “That seems to be the primary problem.

“From my understanding as a practicing physician, this is a fairly common thing in all health systems, particularly this time of year.”

Williams said the hospital takes any kind of emergency patient, even if that means the patient must be transferred once stabilized. Serious cases such as trauma victims and patients with acute heart issues are placed in monitored holding units — such as a recovery room — until a bed is available, he said.

Other patients are sent to the closest available hospital or transferred to an upper-level facility, he said.

It’s not often that High Point Regional has to send patients to other hospitals, Williams said.

The hospital discharges patients between 11 a.m. and noon.

Williams hoped to have those patients who remained in the emergency room moved to beds by late Wednesday.

Contact Jonnelle Davis at 373-7080 or jonnelle.davis@news-record.com

http://www.news-record.com/content/2011 ... fills_beds

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Flu activity across North Carolina is at the highest levels recorded in the past decade, according to State Health Director Laura Gerald.

Twelve flu-related deaths already have been reported in North Carolina.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services is encouraging all North Carolinians to take time out of their holiday activities to get their annual flu vaccination.

“It is very unusual for us to see this many deaths so early in the flu season,” Gerald said. “This year’s vaccine is well-matched to the strains of flu we are seeing in North Carolina, so we strongly recommend that anyone over 6 months old be vaccinated.”

Flu outbreaks have been reported in schools and long-term care facilities across the state. The flu season in the United States got off to its earliest start in nearly a decade, and the effects have been felt in neighboring Moore County.

“The flu activity we’re seeing at Moore Regional, as well as at FirstHealth’s other hospitals, mirrors what the state is reporting,” said Emily Sloan, assistant director of public relations for FirstHealth of the Carolinas, in a story earlier this month. “Flu rates typically start to increase in January, so we’re seeing a rise about a month earlier than previous years.”

FirstHealth announced Dec. 11 that it was imposing visitor restrictions at Moore Regional, Montgomery Memorial in Troy, and Richmond Memorial in Rockingham:

• Visitors are limited to immediate family.

• No children younger than 12 are allowed to visit.

• No one with flu-like symptoms is allowed to visit.

Flu symptoms can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people also suffer vomiting and diarrhea.

FirstHealth announced last month that its employees had until the end of the year to get a flu vaccine or be fired.

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the primary flu strain circulating this year tends to make people sicker than with other types, and it is particularly hard on the elderly.

Although everyone is at risk, flu can be especially dangerous for people at high risk of complications, including pregnant women, people with chronic diseases, very young children and the elderly.

Because it takes about two weeks for immunity to develop after vaccination, getting an immunization between now and the start of the New Year should provide protection when individuals go back to work or school.

Flu vaccine is the safest and most effective way to protect against flu and is recommended for anyone older than 6 months old, a news release from the state said. In addition to vaccination, Gerald recommends that everyone follow additional precautions to avoid spreading cold and flu to others:

• Stay home when you are sick.

• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water.

• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and then discard the tissue promptly.

State-supplied flu vaccine is available at no charge from most local health departments and many providers, as well as local pharmacies.


Read more: Richmond County Daily Journal - State sees record number of deaths from flu

http://www.yourdailyjournal.com/view/fu ... ce=popular

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SALISBURY - Mrs. Betty Jean Foster, 86, of Salisbury, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012, from the flu and pneumonia at Rowan Regional Medical Center.

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Jennifer Ross CONCORD Jennifer Ann Ergenbright Ross, 64, of Rockwell, passed away Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012, at CMC-NorthEast from complications of the flu.

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HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. (WTVD) -- Doctor's offices and urgent care centers across the Triangle are filling up with people battling all kinds of illnesses while they're home for the holidays.



For doctors like Christopher Chao, the patients have been coming non-stop. This is not your normal flu season.

"Well, this year is definitely worse compared to last year," said Chao. "It's hit hard! It's hit early!"

The state's count of flu-related deaths is already at 14.

Hospitals and urgent cares across the area are overrun with cases of strep throat, norovirus, and what Chao calls "the fake flu."

"It's not the flu, but you're still sick," said Chao. "And that's really true about this -- is that whether or not it is -- it doesn't matter because you're still feeling bad and still feeling sick."

Jeremiah O'Connor is a N.C. State grad student who is sidelined by strep.

"Really tired and groggy, been sleeping a lot," said O'Connor. "My throat is really sore -- felt nauseous, really bad headache."

With local emergency rooms jammed with patients with flu-like symptoms, O'Connor opted for the urgent care.

"That was just packed," he said. "I mean there were so many people there."

Making matters worse is a new strain of flu that is popping up in patients who have already received this year's flu vaccine.

"Now, that's no reason not to get the flu vaccine, because there are still a lot of other flu viruses that are protected or covered by the flu vaccine," said Chao.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?secti ... id=8934048

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N.C. has worst flu season in decade; 14 dead so far
By Venita Jenkins
Staff writer

North Carolina is seeing its highest number of flu cases in a decade, including 14 deaths so far this season, state health officials say.

Eleven of the deaths were people older than 65, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

"It is very unusual for us to see this many deaths so early in the flu season," state Health Director Laura Gerald said in a statement. "This year's vaccine is well-matched to the strains of flu we are seeing in North Carolina, so we strongly recommend that anyone over 6 months old be vaccinated."

North Carolina is among 29 states that have reported widespread influenza activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cape Fear Valley Medical Center's flu cases nearly tripled in a month, jumping to 323 cases as of Dec. 13 compared with 115 patients with flu at the end of November.

Flu outbreaks have been reported in schools and long-term care facilities across the state.

"The way we do surveillance, we don't count the number of individual cases. We look at the percentages of visits at doctor's offices and hospitals for influenza-type symptoms," said Dr. Megan Davies, state epidemiologist and epidemiology section chief. "It's about 10 percent of the visits. That doesn't sound like much, but previous seasons peaked at 6 to 7 percent."

That translates into thousands of influenza cases across the state, she said.

"The main strain, H3N2 strain, is one that historically tends to cause severe illness in the elderly," Davies said. "We are seeing a lot of outbreaks in nursing homes."

Dr. Obiefuna Okoye, a Lumberton internist who specializes in infectious diseases, has not seen rates this high in six to seven years.

"The CDC has not advised us about why we are seeing such high numbers early in the season," Okoye said. "The CDC expects it will continue to rise for now. We continue to advise people to get vaccinated."

The flu can be dangerous for people at high risk of complications, including pregnant women, people with chronic diseases, young children and the elderly, health officials say. It takes about two weeks for immunity to develop after vaccination. State-supplied flu vaccine is available at no charge from most local health departments and many providers.

Hospitals across the state, including Cape Fear Valley, Fayetteville VA Medical Center, FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital and Southeastern Regional Medical Center, have implemented visitation restrictions because of the spike in flu cases.

Health officials have asked anyone with flu-like symptoms not to visit friends or family who are patients. People with symptoms should remain at home and call their primary care physician.

"I think this season, because it's such an active season, hospitals have been a lot more vocal about getting the information out to the public," Davies said.

For information about health departments or clinics that offer flu vaccines, go to flu.nc.gov.
Staff writer Venita Jenkins can be reached at jenkinsv@fayobserver.com or 486-3511.

http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/201 ... ac=fo.home

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By KEN RIPLEY

The early outbreak of flu and flu-like illnesses three weeks ago has not subsided and has contributed to a crowded emergency department and shortage of beds at Nash General Hospital. hospital officials said Monday.

Nash Health Care’s director of public relations, Jeff Hedgepeth, said the hospital is continuing to impose restrictions on visitors and working with physicians to make as many hospital beds available as possible.

“The hospital for the past several days has been very full,” he said Monday. “We continue to have a high incidence of flu and patients suffering from upper respiratory infections coming in through our emergency department or our physician offices.

“We’re not seeing any subsiding of patients coming in with flu,” he added. “For the past several days we’ve had patients waiting for rooms, rooms that are not available.”

Previously announced restrictions limited visits to family members and to 30 minutes in length. Hedgepeth said the hospital is also discouraging any unnecessary visits.

“We’re asking (visitors) that if there’s no real need for them to come to the hospital, not to come,” he said. “And we’re not permitting any children under the age of 12 to visit at all.

“The best thing people can do is avoid coming to the hospital,” he added. “We’ve got more patients than for reasons other than the flu who might get infected by people coming in.”

Amy Belflower-Thomas, coordinator of health services at the Nash County Health Department, said Monday “flu activity is decreasing a bit since mid-December, but activity is still quite high — our current activity is about three times as high as what we experienced at any point last year, for instance.”

The state has reported 14 confirmed deaths from flu so far, but Belflower-Thomas said those were cases reported to the State Lab and the actual amount of deaths from flu or its complications is usually much higher than officially reported. While Nash County has had no reported deaths from flu so far, she said the county usually averages 12 deaths a year from flu or pneumonia. The number could be higher this year because of the severity of the outbreak, she warned.

The good news this year, she said, is that these deaths may be preventable since the flu vaccine is effective this year against the strains of flu that have appeared. And if folks who get the vaccine still get the flu, “their case is usually much milder than a routine flu presentation and very rarely leads to complications such as death.”

She said the health department has flu shots available at both their Rocky Mount and Nashville offices by appointment. She said the vaccine is free for persons who are uninsured or do not have a way to pay.

“Especially with school children coming back to school or child care centers this and next week, it is still very important for persons to take measures to protect themselves against flu,” she stressed. “That includes proper hygiene, including hand-washing and covering a cough; staying home when sick, especially children who should stay home until fever-free for at least 24 hours; and getting vaccinated if they haven’t already.”

The flu season usually lasts until March.
http://springhopeenterprise.com/flu-con ... 03-102.htm

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