West Valley hospitals, fearing flu, restrict visitations by kids
By Eddi Trevizo
The Arizona Republic
PHOENIX (Sept. 22, 2009) -- West Valley hospitals are hoping a "no kids" visitation policy will stem the number of H1N1 swine-flu cases expected this winter.
Hospitals are barring children 12 and younger from visiting patient rooms and treatment areas; some aren't letting them into hospitals at all.
At Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center, children younger than 2 are not permitted into the hospital unless they require care or are visiting a dying relative. The restrictions began last week.
"This is a response to the fact that H1N1 is so unknown. It's new, we don't know how it's going to behave," said Toni Lee, an infection preventionist at Banner Estrella Medical Center in the Southwest Valley.
Medical staff said children ages 5 to14 are more susceptible to influenza and more likely to spread it because they are more tactile, less likely to voice symptoms and have less built-in immunity than adults who have experienced seasonal influenza.
Banner Health medical centers across the Valley will continue to adopt the restrictions at least until the end of the flu season, usually in the spring. However, each medical center will determine the degree of restriction based on what is best for its patient population, said Bill Byron, spokesman for Banner Health.
