Journal & Topics Media Group

Increased Flu Cases Force Visitor Restrictions At Lutheran General, Glenbrook

Highest Concentrations In Morton Grove, Skokie, Franklin Park, Wood Dale

An increase in cases of influenza has led area hospitals to place restrictions on visitors.

The new protocols for visitors came after the Illinois Dept. of Public Health issued recommendations Wednesday for restricting access to all local and regional health departments and offices, hospitals and infectious disease physicians.  

A map provided by the Cook County Dept. of Public Health shows concentrations by zip code of those presenting flu-like symptoms in emergency room visits in the North and Northwest Suburbs this week. Pins represent hospital locations. Darker shaded areas indicate higher concentrations.

Locally, restrictions in place at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge and Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview, reflecting the state recommendations, include barring visitors under the age of 18 from patient care areas (except the emergency room) and limiting visitors to only two at any one time. Both hospitals advise anyone with flu-like symptoms not to visit hospitals.

Lutheran General officials said, “Those experiencing flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue, must refrain from visiting patients.”

Glenbrook officials said visitors with symptoms of acute respiratory illness (including fever, cough and sore throat) are advised to not visit patients in the hospital. Symptomatic visitors that wish to enter a patient room are required to wear a mask.

“We’re not considering this an outbreak, but an uptick looking at the level of activity and severity of the illness,” Dr. Michael Vernon, NorthShore University HealthSystem director of infection prevention and control, told the Journal.

“We monitor (flu activity) at the local, state and federal levels. All three are showing a dramatic spike in (influenza) cases. All are advising special restrictions,” Vernon said.   

Data provided by the Cook County Dept. of Public Health shows, in the North and Northwest suburbs, a spike in those presenting flu symptoms at area hospitals in weeks 49 and 50 of 2017. Data shows the highest incidents are for newborns to 4 years old and those 5 to 17 years old.

Tracking where increases are most dramatic, Cook County health officials released a map of locations showing the highest concentrations of those presenting flu-like symptoms in zip codes, which include Skokie and Morton Grove, Melrose Park and Franklin Park, Bensenville and Wooddale, Highland Park and Carpentersville.

One area of the highest concentration was the 60077 zip code in Skokie and Morton Grove where 4.8% of all emergency room visits were for patients presenting flu-like symptoms.

The next highest rates were shown in southern Des Plaines, Rosemont, eastern parts of Elk Grove Village, western parts of Mount Prospect, parts of Rolling Meadows, Arlington Heights and Winnetka.  

Cases were also reported in lesser numbers in Des Plaines, Park Ridge, Niles, Glenview, Northbrook, Prospect Heights and western Rolling Meadows.

Alexandra Normington, spokeswoman for the Cook County Dept. of Public Health said, because many people do not seek medical treatment for the flu, charting hospital emergency room visits is only one indicator.

Vernon said the best defenses for fighting the flu are washing hands and receiving a flu shot. The flu vaccine contains a killed flu virus which does not present a risk to pass on or make an illness worse. The body detects the killed flu and releases antibodies to fight it, Vernon said.

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