Ballad Health mandates masks for staff amid flu, norovirus surge

Ballad Health will require all staff at patient care centers to wear masks starting Wednesday amid a sharp increase in influenza and norovirus cases. The temporary safety measures, which also include visitation restrictions, will remain in effect through Jan. 14, according to a Tuesday news release. The measures will apply to all Ballad Health hospitals, outpatient sites, medical offices and long-term care facilities across the region. Jamie Swift, Ballad Health's chief infection prevention officer, said in a Tuesday media call that positive flu tests have more than doubled from one week to the next. The system recorded 469 positive flu tests during the week of Dec. 7-13, with 313 of those cases in outpatient settings and 156 in emergency departments. The following week of Dec. 14-20, she said, positive tests jumped to 1,145, with 799 in outpatient settings and 346 among hospitalized patients. She said the combination of flu mutations, increased holiday travel and other factors have created a "perfect storm" for spreading the illness. "There's a lot of data out there showing that this flu seems to have a mutation in recent months, and it's able to avoid immunity, so we're seeing a little bit more severe illness," Swift said. "With this mutation of the flu, it looks like it's going to make the flu shot less effective overall for protection, but certainly not [less effective for] keeping you out of the hospital." The measures target two primary concerns: protecting vulnerable patients and maintaining adequate staffing levels as team members contract illnesses and cannot work. Visitors with flu-like symptoms—such as cough, sore throat, fever, chills, runny nose, body aches, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea—should avoid hospital visitation, according to officials. The health system also asks visitors younger than 18 to avoid visitation. Masks are highly encouraged for all visitors. The announcement said nursing staff are authorized to limit the number of visitors based on room size and patient condition. Exceptions will be made for end-of-life situations, the family birth center and Niswonger Children's Hospital, depending on patient conditions. Influenza can spread a full day before symptoms appear and can be particularly severe or deadly for adults older than 65, children younger than six and those with certain medical conditions, health officials noted. Hospitalized patients with unrelated illnesses may also experience severe complications if exposed to influenza. Norovirus, which causes severe gastrointestinal symptoms including diarrhea and vomiting, has also seen a rapid surge in cases and can lead to additional hospitalizations. Unlike respiratory illnesses, norovirus spreads through infected surfaces and requires frequent hand washing with soap and water for prevention. Swift said Ballad Health does not track specific case numbers for norovirus, though Ballad officials said they are seeing a seasonal increase in the gastrointestinal illness. "Norovirus makes you really really sick, [and it's] extremely contagious," Swift warned. Ballad Health offers flu testing at all urgent care and retail pharmacy locations. Patients can also request testing from their primary care practitioners.