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Emergency rooms overflowing with flu patients

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    Hospital staffs overwhelmed?

  • Duration 4:45
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Well with flu infections way up this season hospitals are struggling to deal with overflowing emergency rooms.

One hospital in Pennsylvania even forced to set up a special tends to deal with the influx of six sick patients we showed it to you earlier.

Doctor Ernest patty is a senior attending physician of emergency medicine at saint part of -- hospital here in New York City doctor -- thanks for being here thanks for having me how bad is it.

It's very bad I mean our volume normally on a on a day busy day in the hospital is about 250 patients.

We're seeing well over 300 patients a day and a large percentage that about 20% is probably due to flu and flu like illness.

It's it's.

Is it eight -- -- children as it elderly it's pretty much spanning the whole gamut I mean just the other day we had a 26 -- old child.

Who tested positive for flu -- fortunately that baby's doing quite well.

We've also had some elderly patients with the flu and -- the spectrum runs through the middle as well with the middle aged teenagers on the subject of a newborn baby could you even give a newborn baby of the flu.

Vaccination no we wouldn't given the vaccination but what we do what we're doing is treating the baby with the anti viral medications there are CDC guidelines now that -- -- to that allows to -- Use it in treating.

Children at a very young how can I heard I heard earlier that it children -- -- the five are the most at risk is that true definitely the very young and the very old that's how we remember it and those with other health diseases.

Asthma people with diabetes people have emphysema.

Those who may be your on chemotherapy you know for cancers or -- -- -- depressed immune suppressed for other reasons.

Stephen mapping BC 47 states the describing it as a widespread flu outbreak in its looks a little scary I mean it just you know you think of the movie outbreak and -- -- -- it's spreading how fast is it spreading.

How far is -- gonna go and why -- it's so pat.

Well it's very concerning what I'm what I think is probably the reason it's been so bad lately has started right before the holidays don't forget people travel all over the country.

They gather in large gatherings get together and you know spend time together share meals.

Easy to spread the -- very easy but the good news is there's very easy ways in which to protect yourself.

And stay healthy.

Remember you have to wash your hands you know.

I I was gonna bring the water and I was gonna say the same birthday well yeah yes he's crossing happy birthday fifteen to thirty seconds so I brought some anti bacterial scrub which you can use in -- of soap and water so the water's really the best.

Cover your cold you know with your either your elbow or your hands and washing hands frequently used tissues and throw them away if you're around people that are sick.

There's nothing wrong wearing masks we use these at the hospital and patient show up who have flu like symptoms and before we diagnose them with the flow.

And get your flu vaccine I think that right it's very very important you have to be carefully troubled public transportation and you touching door -- and -- else really wash -- hands.

Can the flu virus Libyan of the subway railing or even if let's say you cough and your album -- -- on your sweater right so how long been -- -- there 810 hours and I think even some strains could last even longer yes.

So you know that -- think.

You have to be careful and and the frequent hand -- is important -- and they have a so let's -- touch that with your glove that is it -- that on your -- -- on your -- so you know you need to -- -- -- white gloves down within a bacterial -- or throw them in the -- if there you know wolf nothing kills another then -- a right -- bacterial solution and hot water itself.

Well hot water -- Gets it off your hands completion and disinfect things like that that have alcohol in them will also help.

And get rid of it and how people dying because you know -- -- kind of equated with our right it's like a terrible terrible cold plus a few symptoms.

Mean.

People with normal immune systems usually do well with the -- if passes after a number days they treat himself symptomatic with the problem is there's complications of influenza.

And those are the people who maybe let it last may be let it go a little too long maybe there were weak or or overworked or under over stressed.

But but the things -- -- said he had no ammonia but isn't that tree you mean don't having -- doesn't.

Just penicillin treating pneumonia are -- drugs that treat that.

Well if you have a bacterial pneumonia we will have drugs that treat that.

But remember we're dealing with viruses that -- very quickly.

And sometimes they can sneak up on you know you know overwhelm your immune system before you actually get to the hospital people are coming in later in the course of the disease.

And it's sort of play catch up medicine and get back you know and treat them effectively sometimes when they have a full blown pneumonia -- and how we do have antibiotics yes we do use them when it's indicated.

-- in doctors government honest it's -- -- -- get the flu vaccine you can do it now it should do it now especially now in New York where we're saying.

It's -- readiness levels you should definitely get a -- back yeah I mean unless you're in Hawaii California.

Or at Mississippi I think it is of the three states and we at least I mean I have no explanation for this.

That don't are are -- -- reporting at least the widespread flu outbreak but you know you -- safe anywhere and now people are traveling back and forth you know and stay healthy sleep.

-- -- good nutritious meal and not and rest and drink playing -- all right good deal -- thank you thank you -- appreciate it well.

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