Flu hits the area and Ohio with a vengeance

By William K. Alcorn | January 27, 2017 at 12:08a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Widespread influenza-like illness here and across the state and associated hospitalizations have prompted area hospitals to limit visitation to protect their patients.

Area schools, however, say they have not noticed unusual absenteeism in their student population or staff due to the flu or flu-like illnesses.

The flu season in Ohio generally runs from October to May, with flu-associated hospitalizations typically peaking between December and February. The current onslaught is the first of the 2016-17 flu season, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

In the first week of January, there were 287 new confirmed flu-associated hospitalizations in Ohio compared with 157 the week before. There have been 654 total flu-associated hospitalizations since flu season began in October.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu activity is on the rise across the country, and the trend is expected to continue for at least several more weeks.

Adult flu-associated deaths are not reportable to ODH, so those statistics are not available. Flu-associated pediatric deaths are reportable, however, but there had been no such deaths reported in Ohio as of Jan. 18, state health officials said.

The 2015-16 flu season started a bit later, and flu-associated hospitalizations did not peak until early March. There were 3,691 total flu-associated hospitalizations during last year’s flu season, the ODH reports.

In its report issued Jan. 18, the state health department said influenza-like illness was widespread throughout the state for the first time for this flu season and the number of associated hospitalizations were rising.

Because of that, Mercy Health-Youngstown has implemented four basic public health guidelines at its hospitals to augment infection-control efforts and protect patients, their families and caregivers, said Don Koenig, executive vice president and chief operating officer.

These extra precautions are in force at all Mercy Health-Youngstown hospitals – St. Elizabeth Youngstown, St. Elizabeth Boardman and St. Joseph Warren – and will remain in effect until influenza subsides, he said.

“We saw a dramatic increase in influenza activity beginning right after the first of the year,” Koenig said. “We’ve had, and continue to have, daily admissions from our emergency department of patients presenting with flu and flu-like symptoms. To date, the most significant population we’ve seen affected is the senior population.”

The impact in Mercy’s hospitals has been longer emergency department wait times and longer waits for admissions from the emergency department, he said.

Likewise, ValleyCare Health System of Ohio is experiencing an increase in flu-related emergency room visits. Thus far, however, the timing, volume and severity of the flu cases treated have been consistent with what is typical for this point in the season, said Trish Hrina, the hospital system’s vice president of marketing and public relations.

Those especially vulnerable to experiencing the flu and serious complications are young children, adults older than 65, pregnant women, and individuals with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and lung disease.

ValleyCare advises everyone 6 months or older to get immunized annually.

ValleyCare follows established industry guidelines to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases, such as the flu, and all employees are encouraged to get the vaccine to protect the hospital’s patients, Hrina said.

ValleyCare operates Northside Medical Center in Youngstown, Trumbull Memorial Hospital in Warren, and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital in Howland.

With seasonal respiratory syncytial virus – RSV – and influenza on the rise, Akron Children’s Hospital is reinforcing visitor restrictions at its Akron and Mahoning Valley hospital campuses for the safety of patients and to curb the spread of those illnesses.

Neonatal and critical-care units and the hematology/oncology unit have stricter visitation guidelines, such as allowing no more than two adult caregivers in patient rooms at a time, said Dr. John Bower, a pediatric infectious-disease specialist.

“Washing hands regularly and getting the flu vaccine are other important ways we can protect ourselves and others from the flu,” Dr. Bower said.

The flu is an illness that causes fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and body aches. It is usually spread from person to person by coughing and sneezing. Most people who get the flu usually recover in one to two weeks, but it can be deadly, the ODH said.

An estimated 200,000 people are hospitalized with the flu each year in the U.S. On average, it is estimated there are more than 20,000 flu-related deaths.

The CDC recommends that clinicians administer one of two prescription antiviral drugs as a second line of defense as soon as possible to patients with confirmed or suspected influenza who are hospitalized, have severe illness, or may be at higher risk for flu complications.