Posts Tagged ‘flu’

Visitors to hospitals in North and East
Yorkshire are being urged to help protect patients and staff by reducing the
spread of flu and other illnesses which are commonly associated with winter.

Flu, short for influenza, is a common
infectious viral illness spread by coughs and sneezes. It can prove fatal for
vulnerable people, with those aged 65 and over and with long-term health
conditions, including diabetes and kidney disease, particularly at risk.

At this time of year, a rise in the
numbers of cases of rotavirus and diarrhoea bugs is also common and these can
be equally disruptive if there is an outbreak in a hospital or other healthcare
setting.

York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation
Trust, which runs Scarborough Hospital, says there had been a number of
confirmed flu cases on the wards over the last few weeks which had led to some
bays being closed, putting beds out of action at a time of year when they are
most in demand.

Heather McNair, Chief Nurse at York
Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are asking people who have
been unwell with symptoms of flu not to visit the hospital until they have been
free of symptoms for at least two days. This is really important because the
virus is highly infectious and outbreaks can happen quickly.

“We ask that people think carefully
before paying any non-essential visits, and to keep hands clean and be vigilant
about hand washing. This is to keep the virus contained and to help visitors
keep themselves safe as well as their friends or relatives.”

Dr Charles Parker, who will become the
Clinical Chair of North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) when the
CCGs in Scarborough and Ryedale, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby, and
Harrogate and Rural District are disestablished at the end of March next year,
added: “An outbreak of flu or norovirus in hospitals and other healthcare
settings can have serious consequences, both for patients who may already very
unwell, and on the hospital space that’s available to look after people.

“When there is an outbreak of flu or
another infection, it’s important this can be contained, but it may mean bays
and sometimes entire wards are quarantined and are not available.”

Hospital visitors are asked to:

• Stay away if they have signs or symptoms of the infection. Some of the main symptoms of flu include:
  – a high temperature (fever) of 38C (100.4F) or above
  – tiredness and weakness
  – a headache
  – general aches and pains
  – a dry, chesty cough
• Cold-like symptoms – such as a blocked or runny nose, sneezing, and a sore throat – can also be caused by flu, but they tend to be less severe than the other symptoms you have.
• Think carefully before paying any non-essential visits at this time
• Keep hands clean and be vigilant about hand washing.
• Respect the fact that if a ward is closed due to the virus, this also applies to visitors.  There are exceptions to this, and the ward sister can advise visitors if they feel they have exceptional circumstances.

You can protect yourself, your family
and other patients by getting yourself vaccinated. The flu vaccination is available
every year to help protect adults and children at risk of flu and its
complications.

The injected flu vaccine is offered
free on the NHS annually to:

• adults over the age of 18 at risk of
  flu (including everyone aged 65 and over)
• pregnant women
• children aged six months to two years
  at risk of flu

Many pharmacies also offer the flu
vaccination.