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Mary Greeley Medical Center Limits Visitors To Help Control Spread of Flu: Ames, Iowa Mary Greeley Medical Center is limiting visitors to the medical center in general, and in particular to its birthing unit, due to the prevalence of the H1N1 flu virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pregnant women and infants are among the most vulnerable to the virus. It is important to keep them safe and protected from the H1N1 virus,¨ said Nyla Carswell, R.N., director of maternal and child services at the medical center. The decision was made in conjunction with the medicinal director for Birthways and Pediatric and with the support of McFarland pediatric physicians keeping the best interest of our patients in mind.¨ Because H1N1 influenza is spreading rapidly in Story County and illnesses continue to increase, the medical center will temporarily restrict visitors to the birthing unit starting Wednesday, Oct. 21. The medical center limits Birthways, visitors to fathers or significant others; grandparents; and the siblings of the baby. Additionally, Mary Greeley Medical Center is requesting all hospital visitors to refrain from visiting hospitalized friends or family members if they have flu-like symptoms or have experienced those symptoms during the past seven days. Flu symptoms include:  Fever---It is important to note that some people with flu will not have a fever. Cough Sore throat Body aches Headaches Chills Occasional diarrhea or vomiting :Individuals with suspected flu should not come to the emergency department to confirm the diagnosis unless they have the following symptoms, as recommended by the CDC:: Fast breathing or trouble breathing Bluish or gray skin color Not drinking enough fluids Severe or persistent vomiting Not urinating or no tears when crying Not waking up or not interacting Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough.:If visiting an ill patient, visitors may be required to wear a mask. Masks are provided for personal protection and to prevent the spread of H1N1. In addition, to help decrease the spread of influenza, all visitors are required to wash hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand gel upon entering and exiting a patient's room. Since it is important to keep the medical center and its emergency room available to the sickest people, the public should take extra steps to stop the spread of the virus and stay home when sick,¨ said Brian Dieter, President and CEO of the medical center. A statewide toll-free hotline has been established for public questions about seasonal and H1N1 influenza at 1-800-447-1985. For more information, please contact the Mary Greeley Medical Center H1N1 hotline at 515-233-7577, visit www.mgmc.org or click below for information from the CDC website 
WHAT IOWANS NEED TO KNOW: CDC is working very closely with officials in states where human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) have been identified, as well as with health officials in Mexico, Canada and the World Health Organization. This includes deploying staff domestically and internationally to provide guidance and technical support. CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Center to coordinate this investigation. SYMPTOMS OF H1N1: Fever (greater than 100 F or 37.8 C), sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, chills, headache and body aches, and fatigue. If you have these symptoms, CALL your physician for instructions. Because H1N1 is contagious, they may have instructions on where you should go for testing. If you do go to the doctor's office or hospital, you will be asked to wear a mask. This keeps you from spreading influenza to others. TIPS TO STAY HEALTHY There are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way. Clean places you have frequent contact with, such as doorknobs and light switches, as well as your desk or work area at work.Try to avoid close contact with sick people. Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people. If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.Guidance for Clinicians & Public Health Professionals Click This Link for Information from CDC MORE LINKS FOR INFORMATION CDC web page on H1N1. This site is kept updated with recent facts and status on H1N1. There is a link on the page to the facts and figures about the current investigation. Click Here A transcript of the April 24 press briefing about the Swine Flu situation is located HERE Some recent articles in the MMWR on swine flu in California. Update: Swine Influena A (H1N1) Infections - - California and Texas, April 2009 MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009 Apr 24; 58(Dispath);1-3. H1N1 infection in two children--Southern California, March-April 2009 MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009 Apr 24;58(15):400-2. For those of you who follow events on social media sites, CDC has a Twitter feed that contains updates on the Swine Flu: Click Here You can also add the following RSS feed on Swine Flu to your feed reader to get regular updates: Click Here Latest CDC Health Advisory Information updates from World Health Organization From NYC Health Dept - Chart: steps required to confirm suspected cases of swine flu If you are interested in the view from overseas: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control |
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| Mary Greeley Medical Center, 1111 Duff Avenue, Ames, Iowa 50010, (515) 239-2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
