Prisma Health is increasing its flu precautions to help protect its patients, guests and team members and reduce the risk of flu transmission. Effective immediately, it is expanding its voluntary visitor restrictions to all inpatient areas in Prisma Health’s Upstate and Midlands affiliates.
• Visitors under age 18 should not visit.
• Adult visitors with signs or symptoms of a cold or flu should not visit.
Flu is wide spread across the U.S., with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimating that there have been at least 9.7 million flu illnesses, 87,000 hospitalizations and 4,800 deaths from flu so far this season.
Prisma Health physicians encourage everyone to get their flu vaccinations. Flu vaccination is the best way to prevent flu and its potentially serious complications.
Flu-like symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough, sore throat, body aches and/or weakness.
People at high risk of flu complications – including young children, adults 65 years of age and older, pregnant women, and people with certain medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease – should seek medical care when symptoms are present.