Hospitals, doctors manage uptick in flu cases

<p>A wave of fevers, chills and fatigue is making its way across Johnson County and the southside as the flu has taken hold.</p><p>Two hospitals on the southside and Johnson Memorial Health in Franklin have restricted visitors due to the virus. Nearly daily, Franciscan Health Indianapolis runs out of inpatient beds due to the number of flu cases hospital physicians are treating.</p><p>Emergency room doctors at Community Hospital South believe this is a hospital record for the number of patients they are treating for the flu or upper respiratory infections.</p><p>The entire country is in the depths of flu season, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimating that between 6.4 and 9.1 million people have had flu illnesses across the U.S. between Oct. 1 and Dec. 28. Between 2,900 and 7,200 people have died in that same time period, according to the center’s data.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>The Johnson County Health Department does not track the actual number of flu cases in the county and only tracks the number of deaths caused by the illness, said Betsy Swearingen, director of the Johnson County Health Department.</p><p>The department is only required to report the number of deaths once the number reaches five, which has not happened this season, she said.</p><p>Locally, the three area hospitals that serve county residents have seen more people come in with the flu than they have in previous weeks and months. At least one official at Johnson Memorial Health believes the number of flu cases they have treated has not yet peaked at that hospital.</p><p>&quot;We are still in that high range. It could spike up again, you really don’t know,&quot; said Michelle Amos, infection preventionist at Johnson Memorial Health.</p><p>At the Franklin hospital, 13 people were treated for the flu last week, with one patient admitted to the hospital due to the illness. In previous weeks, about four people were treated. So far this week, no one has been admitted to the hospital due to the flu, Amos said.</p><p>Franciscan Health Indianapolis is routinely running out of inpatient beds to treat flu patients. The hospital has more than 250 beds at the hospital that can be used by people who are treated in the emergency room and then later admitted to the hospital, said Dr. Randall Todd, medical director of Franciscan Health’s emergency departments in Indianapolis and Mooresville.</p><p>&quot;It has become almost a daily basis where we are holding folks in the ER department who are waiting for beds,&quot; he said.</p><p>The emergency department typically treats about 190 people daily, but that number has been up to between 220 to 230 patients daily. The emergency room averages about 71,000 visits annually. The flu is bringing in more people on top of other emergency situations such as heart attacks, strokes and physical trauma which the department typically handles, Todd said.</p><p>When someone comes in with flu symptoms at Franciscan Health and doctors decide to admit the patient, staff members work to find an inpatient bed. If no inpatient bed is available, doctors administer care in the emergency room and patients have a lengthened stay in the emergency room, Todd said.</p><p>Community Hospital South emergency room doctors are seeing an increase of people who have upper respiratory illnesses in general, said Janae Meyers, infection control manager at Community Hospital South.</p><p>&quot;We are definitely seeing an increased burden,&quot; she said.</p><p>People who believe they have flu symptoms should always seek care, but unless they are having emergency-type symptoms such as chest pain, trouble breathing, high fever or seizures, patients can get the care they need from a primary care physician or an immediate care facility, Meyers said.</p><p>&quot;We are not saying don’t come,&quot; she said. &quot;We are trying to triage so we can see the most urgent cases quickly.&quot;</p><p>Anyone having flu-like symptoms should seek care and not try to ride the symptoms out, Meyers said.</p><p>&quot;Don’t avoid it. If you try to ride it out, it might not end well,&quot; she said.</p><p>Doctors are most worried about young children, the elderly and people with other chronic illnesses during flu season. In most instances, healthy adults get through the illness with no issues, Todd said.</p><p>“Kids under the age of 4 or 5 or people over 60 or 65 with chronic illnesses, those are the folks you worry about when they get the flu,&quot; he said.</p><p>One of the most common ways people can prevent getting the flu is getting a flu shot, health officials said.</p><p>In most seasons, a flu shot is formulated to protect against several strains of the disease. Some strains of Influenza A and B seem to be the most prevalent this season and the effectiveness of the shot is dependent on whether the right strains were predicted, Todd said.</p><p>This season’s shot includes two strains of A and two strains of B, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p><p>People who have not gotten a flu vaccination can still do so, Amos said.</p><p>“It is not too late to get your flu shot,&quot; she said. &quot;You can still get it now.&quot;</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="Hospital visitor restrictions" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Johnson Memorial Health, Community Hospital South and Franciscan Health Indianapolis have all placed restrictions on visitors due to the most recent flu outbreak.</p><p>Here is a look at each of their visitor restrictions:</p><p><strong>Community Hospital South</strong></p><p><ul><li>No visitors with flu-like illness, fever or cough</li><li>No visitors under age 18</li><li>Only immediate family or partner will be allowed to see patient</li></ul></p><p><strong>Franciscan Health Indianapolis</strong></p><p><ul><li>Only immediate family as identified by the patient or patient’s designated representative will be allowed to visit.</li><li>No visitors under 18 years of age unless they are seeking medical care or are the parents of pediatric patients. (Note: An exception is made for siblings visiting in postpartum. Children must always be accompanied by an adult and should be in good health without signs of respiratory infection.)</li><li>No visitors who have symptoms suggestive of influenza will be allowed.</li></ul></p><p><strong>Johnson Memorial Health</strong></p><p><ul><li>No visitors with flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, body aches.</li><li>No visitors under the age of 18, unless the nursing staff deems necessary.</li></ul></p>[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title="At a glance" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Here is a look at some symptoms of the flu:</p><p><ul><li>Fever or feeling feverish (it is possible to have the flu without a fever)</li><li>Chills</li><li>Cough</li><li>Sore throat</li><li>Runny or stuffy nose</li><li>Muscle or body aches</li><li>Headaches</li><li>Fatigue</li><li>Vomiting/diarrhea</li></ul></p><p><em>Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</em></p>[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title="Tips for flu season" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Here is a look at ways to avoid getting the flu:</p><p><ul><li>Get vaccinated</li><li>Frequently wash your hands</li><li>Cover your sneeze/cough</li><li>Stay home when you are sick</li><li>Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth</li><li>Clean and disinfect surfaces in your home</li></ul></p><p><em>Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, local hospital administrators and physicians</em></p>[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title="By the numbers" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Here is a look at the number of flu cases at Franciscan Health and Johnson Memorial Health:</p><p><strong>Franciscan Health</strong></p><p><strong><strong>190:</strong></strong> Average number of emergency room patients daily at other times of the year.</p><p><strong><strong>220-230:</strong></strong> Average number of emergency room patients daily this flu season.</p><p><strong>Johnson Memorial Health</strong></p><p>Data is from last week:</p><p><strong>13:</strong> People treated for flu</p><p><strong>1:</strong> Person admitted to the hospital for flu</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]