JimO
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Flu hitting Central Mass. early, hard
By Lisa Eckelbecker TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
leckelbecker@telegram.com
Area hospitals are seeing more cases of flu-like illness as influenza activity increases in Massachusetts.
Infection control experts at Central Massachusetts medical centers said this week that they were admitting a number of patients with the seasonal illness and sending others home with instructions to rest, drink fluids and take over-the-counter pain relievers to bring down fevers.
“I haven't been this busy with the flu in 10 years,” said Jeannie M. Sanborn, a registered nurse and director of infection prevention at Heywood Hospital, a 153-bed community hospital in Gardner that had six patients hospitalized with flu last week. “The flu season has started earlier this year, not just here, but across the nation.”
[snip]
At UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, which includes the University and Memorial campus hospitals, confirmed influenza cases are up compared to last year, which proved an especially weak year for the illness. The medical center logged 37 cases of influenza during the 2011-2012 season, and 23 of those patients were hospitalized. So far this season the medical center has counted 198 cases and hospitalized 107 patients...
more...
http://www.telegram.com/article/20121230/NEWS/312309866/0/business
By Lisa Eckelbecker TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
leckelbecker@telegram.com
Area hospitals are seeing more cases of flu-like illness as influenza activity increases in Massachusetts.
Infection control experts at Central Massachusetts medical centers said this week that they were admitting a number of patients with the seasonal illness and sending others home with instructions to rest, drink fluids and take over-the-counter pain relievers to bring down fevers.
“I haven't been this busy with the flu in 10 years,” said Jeannie M. Sanborn, a registered nurse and director of infection prevention at Heywood Hospital, a 153-bed community hospital in Gardner that had six patients hospitalized with flu last week. “The flu season has started earlier this year, not just here, but across the nation.”
[snip]
At UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, which includes the University and Memorial campus hospitals, confirmed influenza cases are up compared to last year, which proved an especially weak year for the illness. The medical center logged 37 cases of influenza during the 2011-2012 season, and 23 of those patients were hospitalized. So far this season the medical center has counted 198 cases and hospitalized 107 patients...
more...
http://www.telegram.com/article/20121230/NEWS/312309866/0/business
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