November 6, 2009
HORNELL - Twenty-percent more people are visiting St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell each day, but hospital officials say not every visit is necessary and some could make the flu season worse. “We normally see 40-50 patients in 24-hours,” said Dr. John Robshaw, Physician Director of Emergency Room at St. James, “we now see up to 70 and 80 and a significant portion of those have been flu related.”
Many people can recover fully from the flu at home by taking fever reducers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen, resting, and drinking plenty of fluids. “People are scared and rightfully so,” said Dr. Robshaw, “but the influenza we've had very few serious repercussions from this, we've only had one admitted into the hospital so far this season out of the 100s that we've seen.”
If you do have a fever stay home for at least 24-hours after the fever has gone without medicine. But if the flu symptoms are gone and the fever comes back - you need to go to the doctor. Also children under 5, pregnant women, people 65 and older and anyone who has a medical condition like diabetes, heart disease or asthma should seek medical attention for flu like symptoms. And if you have the flu with these symptoms: chest pain, difficulty breathing, dizziness, dehydration, persistent fever, you should go to the doctor.
- St. James Mercy Hospital has a flu hotline at 607-324-8705
- Arnot Ogden Health’s flu call center is 607-737-4499 - it's staffed with registered nurses from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends.
