Bartlett Regional | HouseCalls | Summer 2017

8 HouseCalls Summer 2017 Schools are a prime breeding ground Norovirus illness can seriously affect older adults and young children. Public schools are a prime breeding ground for spreading such viruses. “Illnesses in schools typically trend with the level of illnesses in our community,” says Juneau School District Spokesperson Kristin Bartlett. “A few schools saw noticeable increases in the number of absences in mid-February 2017. One elementary school reported that 22 to 25 percent of students missed two days in a row during that time period, and many of them had stomach flu symptoms. “When schools see an increase in the number of illnesses, our custodial department will increase the daily cleaning to multiple times a day and do more detailed cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing of objects and areas where people have physical contact,” Bartlett says. Staff and students are also encouraged to be more vigilant about washing their hands. “We’ll see the same virus transmit between kids who are friends,” Gribbon notes. The good news is that when people are more aware that a virus is going around, “they are more likely to do more to prevent illness.” Proper handwashing is key. “Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds,” Gribbon advises. “Create suds, use friction, wash all surfaces of your hands, including in between the fingers. Wash from top to bottom. Then invert your hands and grab a clean towel to wipe them off, or use an air dryer.” Flu viruses: Vaccines are still important Bartlett Regional Hospital saw a marked increase in the number of flu cases over the past winter and spring, despite the fact that many residents got the flu vaccine. “Flu season has increased patient volumes over the years as well,” says Assistant Chief Clinical Officer Rose Lawhorne, RN. “Around February it bumps, then again in March and April.” Lawhorne notes that the spike in flu cases this past winter resulted in an all-time high number of patient visits to the emergency department, usually seen only in the summer months. In January, 1,412 patients were seen in the Bartlett emergency department, just under the 1,426 seen in July 2016, when the Juneau population increased due to the summer tourists passing through on cruise ships. Gribbon reports influenza cases to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, which posts monthly statistics online. According to state records for 2017, Southeast Alaska had its highest number of flu cases in the month of March. The March flu cases led some people to wonder if a new strain of vaccine-resistant flu had appeared. “Viruses are very fast-evolving organisms,” Gribbon says. “So the same virus that was here in October could have multiplied and changed by March.” But, she notes, that’s no reason to avoid getting the flu vaccine come fall. Regardless of whether virus strains change, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the vaccine is about 48 percent effective at preventing the flu virus. That means about half of the flu-vaccinated population won’t get sick. The best way to prevent joining the sick half of the group bears repeating: Wash your hands. —Continued from page 7 Anch/Mat-Su Gulf Coast Interior Northern Southeast Southwest TOTAL Oct. 2016 21 11 5 0 5 4 46 Nov. 2016 22 32 3 0 13 4 74 Dec. 2016 109 64 11 2 15 26 227 Jan. 2017 289 33 35 55 79 44 535 Feb. 2017 278 22 119 25 85 32 561 March 2017 133 41 118 17 101 25 435 April 2017 6 4 6 3 8 2 29 TOTAL 858 207 297 102 306 137 1,907 Laboratory-confirmed (PCR or rapid test) influenza reported to the Alaska Section of Epidemiology, 2016–17 FIND MORE information about norovirus, including helpful resources on prevention, at www.dhss.alaska.gov/ dph/Epi/id/Pages/dod/ norovirus.aspx .