What is Le Bonheur Children's doing about the flu - Update 11-19-09

Update 11/19/09: The novel H1N1 influenza virus continues to be present in Memphis and the Mid-South, but at much lower levels than in Sept. and Oct. Now, children are coming to Le Bonheur for other respiratory illnesses like RSV in addition to H1N1.

The Emergency Department is busier than normal for this time of year, but plans are in place to handle the numbers through the system developed during the H1N1 influx.

The best way to protect your children and family is to get everyone immunized against both the H1N1 flu virus and seasonal flu. Handwashing and covering your cough are still good defensive measures.

Infectious Disease and Emergency Medicine physicians at Le Bonheur expect another round of H1N1 flu to arrive this winter. The site will continue to be updated with the latest numbers and information.

Current Flu Numbers, Updated 11/19/09
Total Number of Children, since August 1

Emergency Department Numbers Through October 31

• Seen in the Emergency Department though: 21,406 children
• 36.02% of children seen through the Emergency Department with Flu-like Symptoms
• With Flu-like Symptoms: 7,711 children
• Seen through the Flu Screening Tent: 1,144 children

Hospital Admission Numbers through November 16

• With Flu-like Symptoms and Admitted to the Hospital: 236 children
• Received Care in the Intensive Care Unit: 28 children
• Deaths: 3 children

It’s important for parents to remember:

• Illness caused by the H1N1 virus has ranged from mild to severe. Most people who have been sick have recovered without needing medical treatment.
• Flu symptoms include fever (usually high), headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, lack of appetite, coughing and stomach symptoms (nausea, vomiting and diarrhea)
• Pediatricians and family physicians should be your first line of defense. They can direct you to the appropriate care whether in their office or at another facility.
• If your child has severe symptoms, difficulty breathing, is an infant or has other underlying health issues, the Emergency Department may be the best place for medical care.

Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center has implemented a proactive plan to anticipate and manage patients with influenza infections this year.

Vaccinating Our Staff
We recommend that all health care workers be vaccinated against both the seasonal and the H1N1 influenza viruses. We will begin administering the seasonal flu vaccine in September and will be the first facility in the country to receive and administer the H1N1 vaccine beginning October 5 to our health care workers. The CDC expects the H1N1 vaccine to be available by mid-October.

Vaccinating High-Risk Patients and Family Members
In addition, we will provide the vaccine to eligible patients and their family members. Our medical staff recommends that the following inpatients be immunized:

1. All children aged 6 months--2 years
2. Children with chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (except hypertension), renal, hepatic, cognitive, neurologic/neuro-muscular, hematological or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus);
3. Children who are immunosuppressed (including immunosuppression caused by medications or by HIV infection);
4. Children receiving long-term aspirin therapy who might be at risk for experiencing Reye syndrome after influenza virus infection;
5. Residents of long-term care facilities; and
6. Patients who will be pregnant during the influenza season.

We will also be offering the vaccine to all parents/primary caregivers of our high-risk inpatients, including parents of children less than 2 years of age, parents of children in the high-risk categories listed above and parents of patients hospitalized in our ICU, TCU, CV-ICU, NICU or Infant Care Units.

Communicating With Area Pediatricians
Our Infectious Disease team is in contact with area physicians about diagnosing and treating children with flu-like symptoms. We sent out guidelines at the end of August and will continue to update them on what we’re experiencing with the flu.

Exercising Good Hand Hygiene
We take hand hygiene very seriously. Le Bonheur has a high compliance rate for hand washing – 95 percent. We ask that our health care workers wash hands before entering a patient’s room and after contact. Alcohol hand sanitizers are placed throughout hospital in convenient locations for patients, families, visitors and health care workers. Each year, the hospital uses about 6,000 bottles of hand sanitizer. We also participate in a city-wide campaign – Come Clean – to encourage hand hygiene for good health.

Posted: Thu Nov 12 00:00:00 CST 2009 For more information please contact: Marketing and Communications , 901.287.6030