The Collegian

Issue date: 10/22/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Chuck Grimmett The Hillsdale Community Health Center is encouraging flu victims to stay at home to avoid spreading the H1N1 virus, as well as regular flu.

Swine flu defense is not just a college initiative. The city of Hillsdale is taking steps to prevent the spread of both the regular flu virus as well as the H1N1 strain.

Judy Gabriele, director of development at Hillsdale Community Health Center, said that as of last Friday, the health center has enacted a "temporary visitation restriction," which prevents visitors 18 years old and younger from visiting patients on any of the hospital floors.

"Everyone needs to understand that each and every year, the flu is here," Gabriele said.  "There's just more of it this year."

Gabriele said the hospital has also set up a station at the entrance to the hospital, where visitors can obtain Kleenex, hand sanitizer and face masks.

Brenda Brendel, a registered nurse paramedic at the health center, said many people are misinformed about flue symptoms and treatment.

"We're doing education in the ER with all of our patients; the radio has had some interviews with some hospital personnel, some spotlights," she said.

Brendel said that while flu is a health risk, the extreme approach taken by the national networks carries the concern to an extreme and causes panic, something the health center is trying to avoid.

"What people don't seem to understand is that you may be contagious one day before the onset of symptoms," Brendel said. "The flu viruses themselves are mainly spread person-to-person through coughing and sneezing, and people may become infected by touching something with the flue virus on it, like a door knob, shopping cart or a table."

Flu symptoms fall into two categories, Brendel said: generalized and priority. Generalized symptoms are those associated with typical seasonal illness, no matter the strain: head and body aches, a cough, sore throat, chills, fatigue and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea. Priority symptoms are more serious and warrant a visit to the Emergency Room, Brednel Said. These include difficulty breathing, chest pain, confusion, severe vomiting or sudden dizziness.

Both Gabriele and Brendel stressed the importance of staying home when suffering from any flu symptoms, especially fever.

"We can't stress enough that if people feel sick, they need to stay home," Gabriele said.

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