The worst flu since the early 2000s strikes
he entire continental United States is experiencing widespread flu right now, the first time in the 13 years of the current tracking system that that has happened, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Officials said that this flu season is shaping up to be one of the worst in recent years.
The rate of flu hospitalizations — the number of people hospitalized with flu per 100,000 — nearly doubled last week compared with the previous week. Last week it was 22.7 per 100,000 people; the week before that rate was 13.7.
IT IS SO BAD..
THE KIDS ARE BANNED FROM GOING TO THE HOSPITAL!!
THE KIDS ARE BANNED FROM GOING TO THE HOSPITAL!!
All of that prompted metro Detroit's Beaumont hospital chain to take an unusual step Friday afternoon: banning visits from children under 13 until the flu season subsides.
“We apologize for the inconvenience,” said a news release from Beaumont Health System, which operates eight major hospitals in southeast Michigan.
“All Beaumont Health hospitals are experiencing high volumes of patients with respiratory viral illnesses, predominantly influenza,” the release said.
“For the safety of our patients and staff, visitation by children under 13 years of age is limited to extraordinary circumstances, such as severe illness of a parent or sibling, or end-of-life situation.”
Even if children are not obviously sick, they shouldn't visit a hospital because they could be carriers of the influenza virus, said Dr. Christopher Carpenter, section head of infectious diseases at Royal Oak-Beaumont Hospital.