Children’s Hospital Thinks H1N1 Was Isolated Case
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Children's Worker & H1N1
NBC 4 digs deeper to find out what a confirmed case of H1N1 means for patients and families.
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UPDATE: Children’s Hospital said it thinks it is dealing with an isolated H1N1 case after an ER employee tested positive for the influenza earlier this week.
COLUMBUS, Ohio—An employee in the emergency department of Children’s Hospital tested positive for the H1N1 virus, but the hospital said it thinks it was an isolated case.
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According to hospital officials, they received confirmation of the employee’s status Wednesday evening. No further information about the employee was released.
UPDATE
Nationwide Children’s Hospital tested any emergency department employee who reported possible flu symptoms and those tests came back negative Thursday.
As a result, the hospital said it believes it is dealing with an isolated H1N1 case and offered information Thursday afternoon.
The hospital continues to follow CDC infection control guidelines.
Given it was an isolated case and is now beyond the incubation period, and after additional consultation with Columbus Public Health, employees in the emergency department are no longer wearing masks and the hospital has discontinued prophylactic antiviral treatments for those employees.
Officials said they are taking precautions to protect the hospital staff and patient families and prevent spread of the virus, while maintaining regular operations at the hospital.
All areas of the hospital are open and operating normally. Existing infection control policies remain in place hospital-wide.
“When you think of how many people come in and out and all the germs there is everywhere. I don’t think it would be that surprising to find out that somebody does actually get it that is working in the hospital,“ said Belinda Bryner, a hospital visitor.
A representative for Columbus Public Health said officials will never know how the employee contracted the virus and that the hospital has been very transparent about the case.
The hospital is not asking patients’ families to take any additional precautionary measures at this time and is encouraging families to maintain all scheduled appointments.
So far, there have been 210 confirmed cases of H1N1 in Ohio, including 28 in Franklin County.
Anyone with questions about the flu can contact the Central Ohio Community Flu Hotline by calling 614-221-2255.
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Reader Reactions
It is a possible risk to catch anything contagious in any environment. My father has worked at Children’s for over 20 years and I have yet to see him ill. I believe it was the director that they had interviewed last night on channel 10, and he did an excellent job with his explanation of this incident as he tried to deter individuals from paniking.
Maybe someone is over reacting just a bit?
Terry was saying, if you work in a hospital, you are bound to eventually get ill.
The statement made by Terry is one of the dumbest and most idiotic I have heard in a long time. Health care workers from your local EMS, to hospital staff and hospice workers are some of the most dedicated people I know. They know the risks, yet they still go to work on a day to day basis. They don’t ask for a thank you! I would like to ask, Terry how many lives has he or she saved? To say that getting H1N1 is, “The price you pay for working in the health care field.“, is a slap in the face to all of those health care workers….the same workers who may someday save your life!
That’s such a super reaction to the news that someone is ill… When your child is ill and need emergency treatment, where will you turn? Probably Children’s! I’d thank my lucky stars that those people do what they do!
The price you pay for working in the health care field.
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