Edward lifts H1N1-related restrictions on children visiting hospital. Read more.
From The Naperville Sun:
Edward Hospital lifts visitor restrictions February 4, 2010 From Staff Reports
Restrictions placed on children visiting loved ones at Edward Hospital were lifted Wednesday, with hospital officials citing low occurrences of the illness.
"Although we continue to see sporadic cases of H1N1 flu, we have not seen a spike in H1N1 cases in some time. After viewing the data regarding influenza activity locally and nationally, Edward Hospital has lifted visitor restrictions for children," said Mary Anderson, infection control manager at Edward Hospital, in a statement. "However, we continue to emphasize that people with fever or respiratory symptoms should refrain from visiting the hospital, for the protection of their family member or loved one, as well as for the protection of all of our patients and staff."
Anderson said Edward's infection control department will continue to monitor cases of influenza and other respiratory diseases throughout the coming months in order to determine the need for further infection control and prevention measures.
In October the hospital announced that all visitors under age 18 were prohibited unless they have a medical issue, including those who wanted to visit a newborn sibling.
In the fall the hospital also asked that:
All others, regardless of age, were asked to refrain from visiting, if possible. Anyone with any upper respiratory signs or symptoms was asked not to visit.
Patients and visitors with any upper respiratory signs and symptoms such as cough, fever, sore throat or general fatigue were asked to wear a mask from arrival until they left or were instructed otherwise.
At the time Anderson said Edward has always had a very open visitation policy, which includes not restricting the number or ages of visitors, along with the visiting times. The move, she said in the fall, was "a major departure from our normal procedures."
