By JOY LOHSE
Marketing and Public Relations Director, Kosciusko Community Hospital

Due to a sudden rise in influenza activity, Kosciusko Community Hospital is imposing the following restrictions to help protect patients, visitors and staff:

• Anyone coming into the healthcare facility seeking treatment who has cold or flu-like symptoms (such as fever, cough or muscles aches) should wear a mask while in public areas of the facility, including waiting rooms.
• No visitors under the age of 18 and no visitors of any age with flu-like symptoms should be allowed to visit patients.
• Visitors should be limited to immediate family.
• Anyone who is not allergic to the flu vaccine should be vaccinated.

These recommendations are prompted by the severity of this year’s flu season. The most common strain of the virus reported so far this season is a version of influenza A (H3N2) which has mutated and is not a good match with the vaccine.

In the past, this strain has been linked to higher rates of hospitalization and death, especially for those at high risk for complications, which includes the very young, the elderly and those with chronic health conditions such as asthma or heart problems

Visitors should call the hospital before arriving if they have any questions about restrictions.

In addition to the temporary restrictions on visitors, KCH recommends that all residents do the following to minimize flu transmission:

• Get vaccinated. All residents 6 months of age and older should be vaccinated against influenza, pneumonia (if recommended) and pertussis (if recommended) unless there are known allergies to these vaccines. Despite the vaccine not being a good match with one of the circulating flu strains, KCH continues to advise residents to get vaccinated against the flu, as it offers protection against other circulating strains and is expected to reduce the severity of illness.
• Stay home if you are sick. All residents experiencing fever and muscle aches should stay home from school, work, shopping or other social gatherings until they have no fever for 24 hours without the benefit of fever reducing medications.
• Wash your hands frequently. Use soap and warm water whenever possible; if not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to clean hands.
• Cover your cough and sneeze with a tissue. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands.
• Wear a mask if needed. Patients with cough or fever seeking treatment at a healthcare facility should ask for a mask to wear. For more information on flu prevention, go to www.fighttheflu.org.