Clinics Are Full, but It’s Not Usual Suspect

It may seem as if every fourth person at work has been out sick and half your holiday guests called with regrets, but don’t blame the flu, health experts say.

Many people have a variety of virus-driven colds, and some others are really suffering from the flu, but this isn’t an unusually bad flu season so far. Especially compared with two years ago, when flu-ridden patients filled hospital beds and forced public health officials to declare an epidemic in the Southland.

But several hospital and county officials have seen an outbreak of respiratory viruses that have been knocking people flat and bringing them into clinics and doctor’s offices.

“It is definitely busy, definitely busier than last year, “ said Jim Anderson, spokesman for Kaiser Permanente.

Dr. David Law, a pulmonary and critical care specialist who practices at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, said the outbreak has hit his patients--who are primarily older people--very hard.

“It is pretty bad every winter, but this is as bad as I have seen it in five years,” he said. “Whether it is influenza is difficult to tell. But there is certainly a respiratory illness that is going around.”

The illness compromises those with underlying lung problems and causes trouble for asthmatics and those with emphysema or chronic bronchitis. In addition, the virus can weaken a person and open the way for bacterial infections, such as pneumonia, he said.

In past weeks, the uncomfortable illnesses sometimes have prompted overloads of patients to seek relief at local emergency rooms. Orange County health officials Thursday cautioned people with mild cases of influenza or upper respiratory infections against doing that.

Instead, people with mild flu or a cold should treat themselves at home or consult with a family physician.

Dr. Mark Horton, county health officer, gave that advice the day before the long holiday weekend, a time when the public often turns to emergency rooms for routine medical care because their regular doctor’s office or clinic is closed.

Many hospital emergency rooms became overcrowded last week in particular, forcing the county to have ambulances sent to other facilities, the officials said, and the same situation could recur.

“Unnecessary visits to hospital emergency rooms result in longer waits and lack of needed care for people with medical emergencies,” Horton said.

At the peak of the problem a week ago, the county was diverting patients from 17 of its 26 emergency rooms for a time. That number dropped by the weekend, though, said Dr. Bruce Haynes, medical director of emergency medical services, and had fallen to four Wednesday. It was ranging from one to 12 Thursday.

County officials said the emergency-room overloads, while not common, sometimes occur during the winter cold and flu season.

The culprits were largely upper respiratory viruses, with some flu, as well as easterly winds that brought problems for asthmatics, Haynes said.

“It is not an extraordinary flu season,” said Dr. Hildy Meyers, medical director of epidemiology.

County officials recommended that people treat less-serious illnesses with acetaminophen for fever, drink fluids, eat light meals and get bed rest. The symptoms of viral illness are sore throat, cough, body aches, fever and nasal congestion.

“You don’t need to seek medical care unless you have a high fever, difficulty breathing or an inability to maintain fluid intake,” Meyers said. The elderly with chronic illness and young children should also take added precautions.

County officials said getting a flu shot will help prevent the disease, and they cautioned people to take routine precautions to avoid spreading illness.

Such as?

“Practice good hygiene, wash your hands frequently, stay home if you’re sick,” said Meyers.