Charlotte hospitals tell young visitors to stay away as NC flu cases surge
As the flu season ramps up in North Carolina, Charlotte hospitals are asking visitors age 12 and under to stay away.
Novant Health and Atrium Health — along with North Carolina hospitals Blue Ridge Health, CaroMont Health, Cone Health, Randolph Health and Wake Forest Baptist Health — announced the hospital visitor restrictions Tuesday.
There have been 10 flu deaths in North Carolina since late September, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. That includes one death during the week of Dec. 22, the most recent week of reported data.
The flu seasons of the last two years have peaked in early February, according to the department.
Atrium and Novant also asked people 13 and over who are experiencing flu-like symptoms to avoid visiting patients at health care facilities.
Atrium officials say flu-like symptoms include fever, headaches, body aches, pain, cough, sore throat, runny nose, chills, fatigue, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
The visitor restrictions do not include people seeking treatment at the hospitals. And Novant and Atrium said special exceptions to the restrictions could be made — for example, to allow children to visit dying relatives.
The restrictions are required to protect patients, Novant Health chief medical officer Eric Eskioglu said in a statement.
“The flu virus can be extremely dangerous to people who have compromised immune systems,” he said.
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