Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=77&ContentID=148246
Cases grow as hospitals ?flu stream? ER patients
16th June 2009, 6:30 WST
Perth hospitals have begun ?flu streaming? patients at their emergency departments to try to isolate those with suspected swine flu, as four more teenagers including another Wesley College student were diagnosed with the viral infection yesterday.
Joondalup Health Campus? flu stream was introduced on Friday and directs patients with flu-like symptoms to a separate area behind the main emergency department where they are masked and offered antibacterial hand gel before being examined.
A spokeswoman said the new measure was to relieve pressure on the emergency department which had seen a moderate increase in attendances as a result of A/H1N1.
Royal Perth Hospital was yesterday sending casualty patients who had been overseas or in Victoria and had fever and other respiratory symptoms into single rooms for examination. Patients considered at higher risk, such as pregnant women and those with impaired immune systems, were being swabbed for swine flu.
The number of confirmed A/H1N1 cases in WA hit 75 yesterday after another nine people were diagnosed. They included a 15-year-old student and a teacher from Wesley College, as well as three teenagers who attended a recent junior indoor cricket tournament in Perth.
The other four cases were adults who had been to Melbourne recently.
About 1000 students at two WA schools spent their first day away from classes yesterday after four students at Wesley and two at St Francis Xavier in Geraldton were diagnosed with the viral infection at the weekend.
WA Health Department acting director of communicable disease control Paul Effler defended a decision to allow hundreds of day students from Wesley to move around the community freely while their classes were closed.
Dr Effler said provided they were not showing signs of illness, the students were unlikely to put others at risk and the school was being partially closed to stop the students from becoming infected.
With more than 1760 confirmed cases of swine flu in Australia, asthma sufferers have been warned to take extra precautions.
Matthew Peters, head of respiratory medicine at Sydney?s Concord Hospital, said asthmatics were particularly vulnerable because the virus could trigger attacks.
The warning comes as a new mother whose baby was born almost three months early became Britain?s first swine flu death ? and the first person to die from the virus outside the Americas.
The 38-year-old Glasgow woman had been in intensive care since last month and had underlying health problems.
CATHY O?LEARY MEDICAL EDITO
Cases grow as hospitals ?flu stream? ER patients
16th June 2009, 6:30 WST
Perth hospitals have begun ?flu streaming? patients at their emergency departments to try to isolate those with suspected swine flu, as four more teenagers including another Wesley College student were diagnosed with the viral infection yesterday.
Joondalup Health Campus? flu stream was introduced on Friday and directs patients with flu-like symptoms to a separate area behind the main emergency department where they are masked and offered antibacterial hand gel before being examined.
A spokeswoman said the new measure was to relieve pressure on the emergency department which had seen a moderate increase in attendances as a result of A/H1N1.
Royal Perth Hospital was yesterday sending casualty patients who had been overseas or in Victoria and had fever and other respiratory symptoms into single rooms for examination. Patients considered at higher risk, such as pregnant women and those with impaired immune systems, were being swabbed for swine flu.
The number of confirmed A/H1N1 cases in WA hit 75 yesterday after another nine people were diagnosed. They included a 15-year-old student and a teacher from Wesley College, as well as three teenagers who attended a recent junior indoor cricket tournament in Perth.
The other four cases were adults who had been to Melbourne recently.
About 1000 students at two WA schools spent their first day away from classes yesterday after four students at Wesley and two at St Francis Xavier in Geraldton were diagnosed with the viral infection at the weekend.
WA Health Department acting director of communicable disease control Paul Effler defended a decision to allow hundreds of day students from Wesley to move around the community freely while their classes were closed.
Dr Effler said provided they were not showing signs of illness, the students were unlikely to put others at risk and the school was being partially closed to stop the students from becoming infected.
With more than 1760 confirmed cases of swine flu in Australia, asthma sufferers have been warned to take extra precautions.
Matthew Peters, head of respiratory medicine at Sydney?s Concord Hospital, said asthmatics were particularly vulnerable because the virus could trigger attacks.
The warning comes as a new mother whose baby was born almost three months early became Britain?s first swine flu death ? and the first person to die from the virus outside the Americas.
The 38-year-old Glasgow woman had been in intensive care since last month and had underlying health problems.
CATHY O?LEARY MEDICAL EDITO