Flu Outbreak Update
Just like many doctors Dr. Norman Taylor of Mulberry Medical Associates has seen a number of patients with the flu.
“We try to isolate patients as soon as we feel like they have the possibility of having the flu because we have to protect the patients that are here that are otherwise healthy and may not have been exposed,” says Taylor.
Taylor is encouraging people to protect themselves. He says the first step is getting the flu shot.
“I’d say it’s probably symmetrical from year to year. You just have some people that refuse to take it despite medical advice and you have some people who are pretty religious about taking it and on a routine basis,” says Taylor.
Governor Kay Ivey issued a state emergency due to the outbreak on Thursday. Hospital officials say more patients are being admitted than they have beds for.
“We know now that among the eight public health districts in the state of Alabama, at least seven of those have hospital capacities that are ten percent or less. More than 90 percent of beds are filled within those public health districts,” says Dr. Scott Harris, of the Alabama Department of Public Health.
That’s just one reason why officials are asking people to visit their primary doctor or urgent care instead of hospitals.
“Speaking for all hospitals across the state, our emergency departments are primarily there to treat emergencies and with the volume of patients coming into our departments for flu-like symptoms that may not carry other conditions, creates real capacity issues,” says Jeff Rains, CEO of Baptist Medical Center East.
If you have a case of the flu, it is important that you stay home until you are no longer infectious that’s usually 5 to 7 days.
The Alabama Department of Public Health plans to open flu clinics in some public health districts. Right now, it is not known of exactly when.
