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Flu cases 'skyrocketing' at area hospitals
You can find a chorus of coughing and a medley of bodily aches and pains in doctors' offices and hospital waiting rooms more than two months before the typical flu season reaches it peak.
"We have seen a dramatic increase in the number of patients presenting in our emergency department with influenza in the last 10 days," according to Brenda Walther, director of emergency medicine at Monongahela Valley Hospital.
In fact, flu is widespread across Pennsylvania, according to the state's Department of Health, with the southwest corner getting smacked the hardest. For the week ending Oct. 10, cases statewide had increased by 126 percent from the week before, with most striking the 10-to-18-year-old age group.
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"It's skyrocketing," she continued. "We don't see much activity at this time of year. This is very unusual."
The widespread publicity about H1N1 has likely led people to their doctor's office or closest hospital to be tested for the virus, where in a more typical year they would have toughed it out at home and waited for the symptoms to pass.
Though she doesn't want to discourage people from seeing their doctors or coming to the hospital, Beverly Mueller, the nursing director of Canonsburg General Hospital's emergency department, said there's not a lot they can do to treat people infected with H1N1 if they are otherwise healthy.
"People should stay at home, away from other people," Mueller explained. They should also stay hydrated and take a pain reliever such as Tylenol. If they start to experience respiratory problems, though, they should seek treatment.
The H1N1 virus, as has been widely reported, can be deadly for people who have underlying health issues. Along with frequent hand-washing, disinfecting common-use items like door handles and phones and covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, it's suggested that people with flu-like symptoms keep their distance from hospital patients or nursing home residents since their immune systems are already weakened.
Despite the statewide and regional increase, not every hospital in the region has seen a spike in the number of flu patients. Southwest Regional Medical Center in Waynesburg has not had any confirmed cases of the flu, said spokeswoman Joy Eggleston, and the number of cases at Washington Hospital has been typical for this time of year, according to spokeswoman Jamie Ivanic.
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I wonder why : 10/21/2009
No wonder the cases have skyrocketed, all you hear on the news is people dying from it. If the swine flue hype didn't exist most people would not go to the hospital, they would just let it run it's course, now people are scared to death so the hospitals are getting alot more people seeking medical attention.
2 down... : 10/21/2009
Two of my three kids have now had it over the last two weeks. I took my oldest to the dr thinking it might be strep, but she was diagnosed with H1N1. I was shocked, because everything the media is telling us is so horrible, but the pediatricians office was very matter of fact about it and told me that it was going around like crazy in SW PA. Her brother got it a week later. Typical flu here - fevers, body aches, head aches, chills. If you are a normal healthy person this is just not that big a deal. If the media hadn't made such a big deal of swine flu people would just be staying home in bed where they belong. Like I said, two kids down - just one more kid and myself to go I guess!
blah... : 10/21/2009
I visited home (which happens to be southwestern PA) about 5 weeks ago for a wedding and I'm pretty sure that my husband and I (both in our 20's) picked up H1N1 then. We've both have been sick for about 4 weeks now with LOTS of coughing and feeling generally exausted. Other family members of mine and friends most likely have the same thing with all of the coughing that I've been hearing. We know that the hospitals are filled to the brim, and we haven't been to one yet because we haven't had severe symptoms (we're hoping it stays that way). While all of the hype about H1N1 is scary, I think that the average person can handle it. At this point I'm hoping that I do have H1N1 because it hasn't been all that bad and then I'll be done with it.
Overblown? : 10/21/2009
Have you read Dr. Mercola's article on H1N1 and the media over-hype? Very eye-opening! http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/21/Special-Swine-Flu-Update.aspx
questiong again : 10/21/2009
the thing is they only tests for type a and b not h1n1 so you truly do not know if its h1n1 but if its A you get treated as if it is.
to Blah : 10/21/2009
if you been sick for 4 weeks you most likely do not have H1n1 majority of cases of h1n1 last 2-3 days and its done, actually alot shorter then the normal flu, you may just have a common cold that nags on and on
Mercola?! : 10/21/2009
Oh please... Dr. Mercola is pushing the same crap that Scientology pushes. People get sick. People sometimes need medicine. You can't click your heals three times and think happy thoughts and make everything go away. Sometimes you have to get actually 'medical' help. Consistently it has been said to treat this like any other flu but to watch for more serious symptoms and those HAVE been given. No scare tactics... simply trying to make people who are at risk, especially kids aware!
over-scare : 10/22/2009
my daughter was taken to southwest regional medical center for pretty bad flu symptoms. They had her terrified! telling her she had H1N1 and telling her to stay away from everyone, basically insinuating she be quarantined along with anyone who had been near her. it lasted a couple of days, nobody else in the family got sick. Yes, the medical professionals are using the scare tactics. It is crazy.
Not Over reacted : 10/27/2009
A couple weeks ago I ended up at the Med Express in Washington with the flu. They said it may be the H1N1 but not sure and it really didn't matter cause they are treating them all the same. That was very calming. They treated me and in a few days was up and around. Thank you guys for not putting the fear of God into me and making a bad situation bearable.
Common Cold Scare : 10/28/2009
Med-Express, come-on. Its a money factory. Regular Flu Kills 40,000 People in the Us Yearly. The CDC Testing shows that a vast majority of cases were negative for H1N1 (as much as 80%) as well as seasonal flu, despite the fact that many states were specifically testing patients deemed to be most likely to have H1N1 flu, based on symptoms and risk factors, such as travel to Mexico. Frome what I've been reading, this is nothing but a way to scard people into passing universal health care.
CENTRAL GREENE SCHOOL DISTRICT : 10/28/2009
CGSD sent letter home yesterdsay that it has been conmfirmed in the school district, guess people are still avoiding Waynesburg Hospital
Dr Mercola : 11/1/2009
This guy is a snakeoil salesman and he conveniently has an online store for you to purchase the "cures" he talks about!
Where are the vaccinations? : 11/2/2009
I've been trying for nearly two months to get my kids a seasonal flu vaccine, not to mention an H1N1 vaccine. Lots of vaccine for adults, everyone told me, just not for kids under 5. Pediatrician? No. Health Department? No. Allegheny County Health Department? No. Forget trying to get the new vaccine. This is what happens when Government bureacracy gets involved where they don't belong. Get ready for your healthcare, dems. We'll all be standing in line.
lol : 11/2/2009
the flu is in every district.. every walmart.. ever where we go.. always has been always will be... if you dont want to be around the flu then confine yourself at home.. and def if you dont want your kids in school with a flu do not take them shopping or to soccer pratice or football
