Quiet flu season a welcome change

As influenza season draws to a close, Franklin County seems to have avoided a repeat of last year’s historic rates.
Nearly a year ago this time, Franklin General Hospital enacted Level 3 restrictions at the hospital due to high influenza rates. At one point in February 2018, 35 percent of all emergency room visits were for influenza related symptoms. In Iowa, the Center for Disease Control reported that 207 influenza patients died as a result of the virus in the 2017-2018 season, more than double the death rate of the previous years.
This year, rates have declined significantly. Michelle Hill, registered nurse and leader for infection prevention at FGH, said the hospital hasn’t gone above Level 1 restrictions, where it currently sits.
Level 1, she said, merely requires that visitors to the hospital who are showing signs of influenza stay home.
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