Flu season is a struggle each year, particularly for young children, the elderly and those who work in the medical profession.
According to the state Department of Health’s Flu Tracker site, McKean County has four cases of Influenza Type A and three cases of Influenza Type B during the current flu season.
Meanwhile, Cameron County does not have any reported cases, Elk County had one reported case of Type A and seven for Type B; and Potter County has the highest number of cases this year in the region, with four Type A and 28 Type B Influenza cases on record.
“BRMC has only seen small numbers of Influenza so far this flu season. The strains have been predominantly Influenza B, and occurring in children,” said Terrie O’Brien, infection preventionist/patient safety officer at Bradford Regional Medical Center. “With children off for the holidays, and families traveling, we expect to see an increase in diagnosed cases over the coming weeks. Influenza season tends to gradually increase during the month of January and usually peaks in our community during the end of February.”
O’Brien also advised area residents to remember that influenza is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States, and it is a preventable disease.
“Immunization is a safe and effective way to prevent hospitalizations and death related to the illness,” she said.
“Quadrivalent vaccine contains four different strains of inactivated virus, two type A and two type B strains,” O’Brien said. “The vaccine takes about two weeks to be effective from the time it is given. It is important to remember that you cannot get the flu from a flu shot because it contains no live virus. The most common reaction to a vaccine is a small local reaction at the injection site.”
O’Brien explained that BRMC, like many other medical facilities, is focused on patient safety and has measures in place to protect staff and patients alike.
“We require all of our employees to receive influenza vaccine, or to wear a mask during influenza season when they are in the building. We encourage our staff, visitors and patients to use good hand hygiene and cough etiquette. Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve or tissue when coughing or sneezing prevents the droplets that spread influenza from being dispersed in the air,” O’Brien said. “To further reduce the spread of germs, it is a good practice to avoid touching your mouth, eyes and nose and to wash your hands or use a hand sanitizer every time you do touch these areas.”
O’Brien also noted that individuals who enter the building at BRMC during flu season are encouraged to wear a mask if they have signs of illness. For those who have any signs of respiratory illness, the request is that these signs be reported to providers as soon as possible. If a visitor feels they are ill, they are asked to sit at least three feet away from others in waiting areas to decrease the risk of illness to others.
“There are stations at all entrances to our building that provide masks, hand sanitizer and tissues for those individuals who do have respiratory symptoms,” O’Brien said. “Please stay healthy this holiday season and immunize to save lives.”
