Hospitals impose visiting restrictions for children and teenagers in South Carolina amid surging flu rates

Multiple South Carolina hospitals are temporarily restricting young visitors amid surging flu rates in the state.

As flu cases spike, making South Carolina the second-highest in the nation for influenza activity, several hospitals have announced they will ban children and teens from visiting patients starting Tuesday. 

Prisma Health said this week it will restrict visitors age 15 and younger, while Bon Secours St Francis Downtown and Bon Secours St Francis Eastside will temporarily bar anyone age 16 and younger. 

Normal visitation will resume once community illness levels subside, as the hospitals routinely adjust their policies during periods of heightened flu activity. 

Exceptions may be allowed in certain circumstances, such as when a loved one is critically ill. 

The hospitals said the restriction is meant to protect patients and employees during higher-than-normal flu infection rates. 

In the state’s latest report covering October 25 to 31, South Carolina health officials confirmed 3,300 new flu cases, bringing the season’s total to more than 10,000.

Since flu season began, the state’s health department has recorded 742 flu-related hospitalizations, including 359 new admissions in its latest report. 

 In a statement to the Daily Mail, Bon Secours said, in part, they ‘are closely monitoring respiratory illness activity’ and ‘remain well-prepared to care for patients who need our services. 

‘As part of our seasonal precautions, visitation restrictions for children under age 16 took effect today at both our hospitals – Bon Secours St. Francis Downtown and Bon Secours St. Francis Eastside. 

‘We also encourage associates and visitors to wear masks and practice diligent hand hygiene.’

Bon Secours added they ‘remain focused on protecting our patients, visitors and associates’ and anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms ‘should refrain from visiting patients.’

In a social media statement, Prisma Health said: ‘Due to increased rates of community influenza and other respiratory illnesses, Prisma Health will restrict anyone age 15 and younger from visiting hospitalized patients in its South Carolina hospitals as of Tuesday, November 10. 

‘The temporary visitor restriction is needed to help protect patients and team members during this time of higher-than-normal flu infection rates.’

They added that the restriction will help ensure safety in the hospitals, and ‘exceptions may be allowed in certain circumstances, such as the imminent death of a loved one.’ 

‘Normal visitation guidelines will resume once illness levels in the community subside. Prisma Health routinely adjusts visitation guidelines during periods of higher flu activity,’ they said.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Prisma Health for comment.

Flu-like illnesses accounted for 5.1 percent of outpatient visits during the week ending October 31, well above the state’s usual rate of 3.2 percent. 

H1N1, a strain of influenza A that caused a pandemic in 2009, is currently the main strain circulating in the state and is also dominating nationally. 

South Carolina has seen one of the largest increases in flu activity, moving from a moderate activity level to high activity last week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Flu activity is rising across many parts of the US, health officials have warned, as cases rise earlier than usual.

The CDC warned Friday that flu levels were ‘higher than typically observed at this time of year’ and ‘continue to increase in many parts of the country.’

In its latest update, the agency estimated more than 1.7 million people have been sickened by the flu up to the week ending October 31, the latest available, up 70 percent from October 24.

More than 25,000 people were also estimated to have been hospitalized after catching the virus, up 56 percent on last week, while 1,400 were estimated to have died with a flu infection, up 55 percent in a week.

For comparison, this time last year flu levels were so low that health officials had not yet published an estimate for the number of cases, hospitalizations or deaths. 

They did not publish an estimate until the week ending November 15, when there were thought to have been more than 650,000 illnesses. Cases did not reach the level recorded this week until the end of the month.

Twenty-six states, mostly in the South, West, Midwest and Northeast, recorded an uptick in flu levels over the latest week.

Louisiana is now also reporting high levels, while Washington, California, Texas, Florida and Oregon are reporting moderate levels.

On October 24, only three states were recording moderate or high levels of flu.

Typically, flu starts to circulate in October, peaks between December and February and then declines up to May.

But this year, CDC data showed that flu levels had already begun to rise in the week ending August 8 and have continued to increase since.

Flu levels also normally rise in the South first before spreading across the rest of the nation.

Yet official data showed that cases started to rise first on the West coast this year, which doctors said was unusual.

The early rise in cases nationwide has been linked to the H1N1 strain of the virus, which was behind the 2009 flu pandemic that sickened 60 million and hospitalized more than 240,000.

Experts say that this strain is behind the majority of cases nationwide and has acquired a new mutation, G155E, which may make it better able to evade previous immunity and cause an infection. There is no evidence that it may cause a more severe infection.

Health officials at the CDC have said that an earlier start to the flu season does not necessarily mean that it will be more severe compared to previous years. 

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is one of the most common and highly contagious respiratory infections, impacting around eight percent of the US population each year.

The infection can cause symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, stuffy nose, headaches and fatigue, and can lead to more serious complications including pneumonia and influenza-associated encephalopathy, a severe brain dysfunction condition.

There are three different flu virus strains that cause illness: influenza types A, B and C.

Influenza type A can infect people and animals, while type B is usually found only in humans and is generally associated with less severe infections.

Type C occurs much less frequently than A and B and causes minor illness in humans.

While most people recover within a week, some may develop complications such as pneumonia, which can be life-threatening and require medical treatment.

To avoid the flu, health officials recommend regular handwashing and avoiding contact with people who have flu-like symptoms.

Treatment includes rest, staying hydrated, taking over-the-counter medication or in severe cases, prescription antivirals such as Tamiflu.