news-record.com

ASHEBORO — Randolph Hospital has joined the list of area hospitals to restrict visitors because of flu concerns.

Effective today, Randolph Hospital is restricting all visitors to the facility who are displaying any flu-like symptoms, which include fever, cough and sore throat, and is strongly discouraging anyone younger than 18 from visiting the hospital. Additional restrictions in place for the Maternity Services Unit state that no visitors younger than 18 are permitted to visit the unit.

“We feel these restrictions are a necessary step to protecting our patients, staff and adult visitors as the reports of increasing cases of flu appear throughout the region,” Ingrid Munley, infection control professional, said in a news release. “Early evidence from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that children and adolescents are more susceptible to H1N1 flu and have higher rates of flu infection than adults.”

Further precautions at Randolph Hospital include increased availability of masks, gloves and alcohol-based hand sanitizer at all major entrances to the facility as well as signs displaying the newly implemented visitation restrictions.

The visitation policy will remain in effect until the rate of flu in the region has significantly decreased.