Flu outbreak keeps NUMC staff busy

By TONY ZIEBOL

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- All over the country, influenza (the flu) outbreaks have been making people miserable and hospitals have been struggling to meet the demand.

In the Twin Cities, hospitals have been running at or near capacity, with some handling a record number of patient visits.

Daniel Groebner, Medical Director of New Ulm Medical Center, said New Ulm has had its share of problems as well.

"It's been challenging over the last month," he said. "At times we have had more patients than we could take care of."

In those instances, arrangements had to be made for patients to be sent to other area hospitals.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, this year's flu strain is particularly nasty type A flu (influenza is divided into two parts of which type A is one).

W. Paul Glezen, an epidemiologist at the Influenza Research Center at Baylor Medical School in Houston told the Associated Press some flus are severe but not persistent and others are persistent but not severe.

This year's strain happens to be both.

"This virus is just a much more successful parasite than other viruses," Glezen said. "It's definitely different than other years."

The timing of the bug didn't help either, Groebner said.

"It struck a little earlier than usual," he said. "People are having a hard time shaking it off."

Also, it's possible that the strain wasn't in the flu vaccine administered this season as some people who received it still got sick.

Influenza is an upper respiratory infection with symptoms such as cough, muscle aches, headache, fever, chills and malaise.

To make matters worse, other illnesses with flu like symptoms are causing havoc at the same.

One of these is called RSV -- respiratory syncytial virus, that is so similar to the flu that doctors need a test to tell the difference.

"There's been a lot of (RSV) around this area, too," Groebner said. "There are also other things around the community causing bad colds that are not the flu."

The flu has a major outbreak once every decade, Groebner said, but it's too early to tell how bad this year's season was.

"This week was a little lighter (for flu patients)," he said. "But it's a little early in the season to see (if it's peaked)."

If you any flu-like symptoms, Groebner has some advice.

"Stay home," he said. "Get a lot of rest. Get a lot of fluids."

He also recommends Tylenol for aches, pains and fever.

"Chicken soup is good," Groebner said.

People with high fevers for more than 48 hours should be checked by a doctor as should people with shortness of breath, chestpains or any other bad symptoms.

"People can get things on top of the flu, especially people that have medical problems to begin with," Groebner said.