title: With flu numbers among staff increasing, hospitals report challenges, need for vigilance.
abstract: With a flu vaccine that is largely missing the mark, EDs around the country have their hands full with patients complaining of flu-like symptoms. The flu arrived earlier this year than usual, and by mid-January, it was still not clear whether the virus had peaked. Many EDs are struggling with staffing challenges as more personnel than usual are missing work because they have come down with the flu themselves. As a result, hospital administrators are stepping up infection control practices and urging vigilance with respect to hand hygiene and wearing masks. By mid-January, the Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network reported that there had been more than 9,900 hospitalizations related to laboratory-confirmed cases of flu since October 1, translating to an overall rate of more than 36 hospitalizations per 100,000 people. This season's predominant H3N2 viruses have been particularly hard on children, with the CDC reporting that more than 56 children had died from the flu by mid-January. Hospital administrators also report that chronically ill patients are particularly vulnerable to the flu. In some cases, these patients are straining hospital resources as they often require higher-level, inpatient care.
mesh_terms: D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006801:Humans; D017757:Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D011159:Population Surveillance; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines