Last Updated on February 11, 2020 by Logansport Memorial Hospital
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are continuing to monitor this seasonal outbreak of Influenza. According to their website, flu activity is high across the United States and is expected to continue for weeks. Overall, hospitalization rates have remained similar to this time during recent flu seasons, but rates among children and young adults are higher at this time than in recent seasons. (www.cdc.gov/flu)
At Logansport Memorial Hospital, we enforce strict infection prevention policies to best protect our patients during peak seasons of disease, like this current flu season. As with each year before, when confirmed cases of influenza begin to increase locally, we implement our visitor restriction policy to limit the number of visitors interacting with our patients, who may be especially vulnerable or susceptible to the spread of disease. Visitor restrictions have been in place at Logansport Memorial Hospital since Tuesday, December 31, 2019 and have not yet been lifted.
As a reminder, visitor restrictions mean:
There is a limit of two adult visitors per patient at a time for ALL patients, including in the Family Birth Center. For the Family Birth Center, it must be the same two visitors for the entire stay of mother and baby.
No children or siblings under the age of 18 will be allowed to visit patients at this time.
Visitors are urged to perform proper handwashing frequently, including when entering and leaving the building. During flu season, it is best to wash your hands with soap and warm water. If it’s not possible to do so every time you enter and exit, there are gel sanitizer dispensers available as an alternative.
It can be difficult to tell the difference between the flu and the common cold, especially when both are prevalent during the cold winter months. The flu and the common cold share many of the same symptoms, and it can be nearly impossible to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone.
The CDC offers a visual aid for understanding the signs and symptoms of the cold versus the flu:
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, please seek medical treatment with your primary care provider or by visiting the Express Medical Center walk-in clinic to receive special testing that can confirm your diagnosis of a common cold or the flu. This special testing must be done within the first few days of illness, so don’t delay in visiting a healthcare provider when you feel sick.
If you are coughing, sneezing, or have a fever, please immediately put on a mask when you enter the hospital or your physician’s office. Masks are available in public locations near hand sanitizer stations for your use.
Thank you for your continued understanding and cooperation with our visitor restrictions policy during this year’s flu season. We continue to monitor the status of the flu outbreak here in our local community and will re-evaluate the necessity of our protections as it slows down over time.