Flu in Los Angeles

I couldn't find the date of this article, but it looks current.

  http://www.dentalplans.com/Dental-Health-Articles/Flu-or-bir d-flu-.asp

It's officially flu season, causing bumper-to-bumper traffic at hospital emergency rooms around the country.

But in Los Angeles, reports that a large number of people complaining of influenza-like symptoms - fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches - are swarming local emergency rooms, afraid that they have the bird flu.

The increased ER traffic has been so great that it has interfered with normal hospital operations. Some have been forced to temporarily close their doors to ambulance traffic.

Shutting out ambulances - and sending them to other, less-crowded hospitals instead - is not unheard of during the height of flu season, when throngs of sick people can make the services of any health facility woefully inadequate.

But it's never the preferred way of doing business. And in Los Angeles, health officials are urging those with flu-like symptoms to avoid the ER emergency and instead go to their family doctors.

Los Angeles County health officer Jonathan Fielding, M.D., M.P.H., sent a clear message to those seeking help.

"Emergency departments are very crowded this time of year," Fielding told the public, "and patients without life-threatening emergencies can expect long delays as patients with more severe illnesses or injuries are treated first."

Whether the emergency room onslaught in Los Angeles is being mirrored elsewhere in the country is unclear. However, some health authorities worry this year could be worse than previous years, as bird-flu reports from elsewhere in the world could cause people to panic.

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza, or bird flu, has killed scores of people across Southeast Asia over the last two years, and the disease is currently spreading across Europe.

 

Edited by Albert

www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/usmap.htm

The link above is probably already viewed by many viewers on this board but  for those that need it - it shows by US state the status of common flu.

Early December the flu here in Phoenix was unreal! A local ER had to close it's doors! I spoke with my sons teacher when this all was going on and she said that she had 13 kids absent in one day...of course my son was one of the 13.

It was actually pretty scary to hear on the local news about the ER shutting down....kinda gave you a glimpse at what will happen with a PANDEMIC flu! The hospital's cant even handle a seasonal flu!

And that line about avoiding the hospital and going to your regular DR instead had me laughing! Good luck with that!!! Regular Dr's offices are not any better equipt to take on a surge of sick patients with the flu! I tried to see my Dr last month when I caught the flu...had to wait 4 days! I told them to forget it...I'd be better by then!

Flu or bird flu?

WASHINGTON DC (myDNA News)

To learn more visit myDNA's Influenza Center Read More

Tue 10 Jan 2006 07:00 AM CST

"It's officially flu season, causing bumper-to-bumper traffic at hospital
emergency rooms around the country."

http://www.mydna.com/health/flu/news/news_20060110_bird_flu_ or_flu.html

Edited by Rick

 

I've heard that at least 2 schools in Missouri have closed Thursday and Friday due to flu.  I'm guessing they believe everyone will have a little extra time over the weekend to recuperate.