It just 'flu' by
An especially bad flu season coupled with a less-effective vaccine has put the elderly at a greater risk of contracting the virus.
Butler County retirement homes have been taking extra steps to keep their elderly residents flu-free.
“There were 846 cases of influenza reported in Butler County since the start of the flu season,” said Dr. John Love, director of infectious disease at Butler Memorial Hospital.
And asked whether we are reaching the end of the flu season, Love said, “I can't really say specifically for Butler County. On the state level, it seems cases have reached a plateau and maybe come down, so it may have reached its peak and started down.”
Love said, “Flu season runs until it wants to stop. Sometimes there's what is called a double hump where influenza A runs its course, and later there is a rash of influenza B cases later in the season.”
Generally, he said, flu season ends in the late winter or early spring.
Right now, with influenza more present in the population, older people can be more at risk if they contract a case.
Janet Steinhiser, the infection prevention nurse at Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 197 Sunnyview Circle, said, “That's because their immune systems are so compromised. They have a lot of different underlying morbidities.”
“And even a normal, healthy person who eats well and is mobile and has good blood circulation to his organs can find it hard to fight off,” she said.
Love said, “We see a higher mortality rate from flu or pneumonia because they just don't cope with it as well.”
“When you are 70 you have more underlying medical problems than when you are 50. The body's reserves are more limited by the underlying medical problems,” he said.
“The elderly may not generate the same level of immune response,” he said.
That's why it's important to take extra steps to prevent or stop a flu outbreak in a location such as the 218-bed Sunnyview facility, said Heidi Coyle, its director of nursing.
“When we had confirmation of cases in late December,” said Coyle. “We locked down the units as much as possible.“We put up signs discouraging relatives from visiting,” said Coyle.Coyle said she temporarily closed Sunnyview's main dining hall to prevent crowds gathering and perhaps spreading the flu virus.“We made masks and hand sanitizers available to patients and staff,” said Coyle.“And we stress, hand wash, hand wash, hand wash,” said Coyle. “You can't do enough.”“We talk to housekeeping and we emphasize the high-touch points: door knobs, hand rails, counter tops and phones,” said Coyle.Those areas come in for extra sanitation and testing for the flu virus, she said.Michelle Barr, nurse and infection control specialist at the skilled- care unit at Concordia Lutheran Ministries, 134 Marwood Road, in Jefferson Township, said, “We have had five people admitted with the flu and four here diagnosed with the flu” since the end of November.Karen Beilstein, director of nursing, said, “Most years we hold our breaths. We follow the protocols.”“From our perspective, we haven't had too many cases. We would rather have had zero cases, but we kind of hold our breath since we don't know what's coming,” Barr said.They added the residents and the 140-member staff of direct-care and ancillary employees are all educated on flu protocols — hand hygiene, use of gloves and masks — at training and informal meetings.Beilstein said notices are put on doors advising what flu protections to take.Barr said residents with the flu are isolated while the illness runs its course.Beilstein said, “As for visitors to the unit, we encourage them not to come if they are sick.”
Flu sufferers often self-medicate with the wrong medicines, prolonging their bout of sickness.Love said, “It's a virus, not a bacteria. That's an important distinction. Antibiotics that would be used on a bacterial infection have no impact at all on influenza.”Love said the only medicine that is effective is Tamiflu and that can only reduce flu symptoms. It is best when taken within 24 hours of the first flu symptoms appearing.Love said, “You are going to feel awful for a few days. The recovery period varies. For some people it will be weeks before they are back up to speed.“I would say if you are over 65 and have a serious underlying medical condition — lung disease, heart disease, untreated diabetes — give your doctor a call,” he said.Also, when recovering from the flu, he if you start to feel better and then begin feeling worse, call your doctor.Love said the elderly can still protect themselves by:1. Getting a flu shot even at this late date and even with doubts about its effectiveness. “Partial immunization is better than no immunization,” Love said.2. Practice good hand hygiene, and if you're around people with the flu, say in a doctor's office, wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth.Love said, “At the hospital, we put flu patients in a mask to keep them contained.”There is no definite end in sight to the current flu season, Beilstein said, but if the Concordia unit can go two weeks with no new cases reported, it might be a sign that it's winding down.
