Virus Strikes Center
By BETHENY HOLSTEIN Staff Writer
WHEELING ? With a ?bug? floating around Peterson Rehabilitation Center and Geriatric Center, officials at the facility are trying to make sure nobody else gets bitten.
Peterson spokesman Tom Barr said there is no quarantine at the center, but the hospital administration is asking people to limit visits to residents of the long-term care portion of Peterson due to a viral illness among some of the residents.
?We are restricting visitation to the second floor because there is a gastroenteritis going around,? said Dr. William Mercer, Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department health officer and medical director for Peterson. ?This time if year, it is not uncommon to see these types of viruses going around.?
Mercer said most of the residents who have come down with the illness ? probably norovirus and not influenza ? have had a mild form of it.
?We had a similar episode in 1998 at one of the local nursing facilities,? Mercer said. ?But now it does seem to be improving. Once we have had no new cases for 24 hours, the restrictions will be lifted.?
He also pointed out the measure is not strictly a quarantine.
?Mostly, its voluntary,? Mercer said. ?We don?t want more people getting sick. ... If you do have a family member there, we are asking that they abide by this recommendation. It?s a little bit of a hardship, but it?s really for the benefit of everybody.?
He said currently the virus is not a big problem, but Mercer noted the effects of an infectious virus could be compounded by a closed environment like Peterson and an elderly population.
?We are advising people to limit visitation for health and safety reasons,? Barr said, adding that the measure is to not only protect residents but also to protect the visitors from becoming ill as well.
According to Mercer, the norovirus causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes a low-grade fever, and these are symptoms not associated with influenza. Mercer pointed out there have been only two or three sporadic cases of influenza in Ohio County, and he said it is not too late to get a flu shot, which normally takes about two weeks to become effective.
Flu shots are being administered by appointment at the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department by calling (304) 234-3682.
By BETHENY HOLSTEIN Staff Writer
WHEELING ? With a ?bug? floating around Peterson Rehabilitation Center and Geriatric Center, officials at the facility are trying to make sure nobody else gets bitten.
Peterson spokesman Tom Barr said there is no quarantine at the center, but the hospital administration is asking people to limit visits to residents of the long-term care portion of Peterson due to a viral illness among some of the residents.
?We are restricting visitation to the second floor because there is a gastroenteritis going around,? said Dr. William Mercer, Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department health officer and medical director for Peterson. ?This time if year, it is not uncommon to see these types of viruses going around.?
Mercer said most of the residents who have come down with the illness ? probably norovirus and not influenza ? have had a mild form of it.
?We had a similar episode in 1998 at one of the local nursing facilities,? Mercer said. ?But now it does seem to be improving. Once we have had no new cases for 24 hours, the restrictions will be lifted.?
He also pointed out the measure is not strictly a quarantine.
?Mostly, its voluntary,? Mercer said. ?We don?t want more people getting sick. ... If you do have a family member there, we are asking that they abide by this recommendation. It?s a little bit of a hardship, but it?s really for the benefit of everybody.?
He said currently the virus is not a big problem, but Mercer noted the effects of an infectious virus could be compounded by a closed environment like Peterson and an elderly population.
?We are advising people to limit visitation for health and safety reasons,? Barr said, adding that the measure is to not only protect residents but also to protect the visitors from becoming ill as well.
According to Mercer, the norovirus causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes a low-grade fever, and these are symptoms not associated with influenza. Mercer pointed out there have been only two or three sporadic cases of influenza in Ohio County, and he said it is not too late to get a flu shot, which normally takes about two weeks to become effective.
Flu shots are being administered by appointment at the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department by calling (304) 234-3682.