The increasing incidence of influenza in New Hampshire and Vermont has providers at Dartmouth-Hitchcock increasingly vigilant and implementing extra precautions to protect its patients and staff.
· D-H taking extra steps to prepare for increasing number of flu cases
· Flu shots, hand washing, masks still best defense against spread of the flu
· If you have a fever or a new cough, consider postponing visits to health care facilities unless your visit is related to these symptoms
Experts say that the flu season has begun early throughout the country, and that this season may be particularly difficult. D-H has taken many measures as a matter of routine to prevent transmission of the flu. These measures include close surveillance of regional and national flu trends, immunization of all D-H employees, liberal distribution of hand sanitizer, and asking all of those with a new cough to wear a surgical mask. Those employees with medical conditions or sincerely held religious beliefs have been granted exemptions from D-Hs flu immunization, but during this period of wide circulation of the flu are now required to wear a mask when within three feet of a patient or in a patients room.
We are closely watching flu outbreaks around the state, and have taken steps to protect our patients and staff, says Jodi Dionne-Odom MD, an infectious disease specialist at D-H and a New Hampshire deputy state epidemiologist. We are also asking visitors to any health care facility to consider the health and safety of our patients. If you are a visitor with a cough or a fever, please consider delaying your visit until your symptoms have cleared up.
Dionne-Odom also stresses the importance of flu shots and hand hygiene in preventing the flu. Data has shown that the most effective ways to prevent flu is to be immunized, she says. Its never too late to get a flu shot, and its always a good idea to wash your hands.
For more information on influenza, see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention influenza web site, or the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services flu information web page.
ABOUT DARTMOUTH-HITCHCOCK: Dartmouth-Hitchcock is a national leader in patient-centered health care and building a sustainable health system. Serving patients in Northern New England since 1893, the system includes New Hampshires only Level 1 trauma center and its only air ambulance service, as well as the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, one of only 41 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, and the Childrens Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, the states only Childrens Hospital Association-approved, comprehensive, full-service children's hospital. Dartmouth-Hitchcock provides access to nearly 1,000 primary care doctors and specialists in almost every area of medicine, as well as world-class research at the Audrey and Theodor Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
D-H 1.11.2013