SOUTHEASTERN, N.C.—The worst flu season North Carolina has seen in nine years may soon be coming to its end.
Thursday, Dosher Memorial Hospital lifted its visitor restriction requirements. The restrictions limited visitors under the age of 12 and those that had been recently sick.
According to James Goss, spokesperson for Dosher Memorial Hospital, influenza-related symptoms and diagnoses are tapering off.
“We’ve had a large drop off,” Goss said.
The hospital introduced a temporary visitor restriction policy on Jan. 24 to protect the health of its patients and visitors. For Dosher Memorial, this season has delivered the highest positive diagnoses of influenza cases in three years.
In total, Dosher Memorial has responded to 86 cases this flu season and “only one in the past week” according to Goss.
Since Oct. 2017, North Carolina Division of Public Health has recorded 328 influenza-related deaths. That’s the highest influenza-related death rate recorded in the state in at least nine years.
According to Kelly Haight, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Public Health and Human Services, adult flu deaths did not become reportable until 2009. Haight added that the known influenza-related deaths are only inclusive of those reported to the Division of Public Health.
For additional information on North Carolina flu outbreak, symptoms and advice, visit http://www.flu.nc.gov/.
Johanna Ferebee can be reached at johanna@localvoicemedia.com or @j__ferebee on Twitter
