New York Health News

NEW YORK (CBS) ― City hospitals are trying to manage the large numbers of people flooding emergency services because of the swine flu outbreak, but the rush is sparked more by suspicions than symptoms.

Masked and nervous, hundreds of parents and their children continue to check into local hospitals with concerns about swine flu.

"They've seen a good deal of activity in emergency departments, especially in Queens. Most people have either exhibited mild flu symptoms or what epidemiologists call 'the worried well,'" said Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Tahir Syed's took his 9-year-old daughter to the pediatric emergency room at Elmhurst Hospital after she came down with a high fever.

"I fear maybe she got the virus so that's why I brought her here to check and see if she's all right then I'm satisfied and we don't want to spread it among society," Syed said.

Elmhurst hospital says their patient flow is still more than double the norm. It was a similar scene in the at the Children's Hospital at Montifiore.

Dr. Nora Esteban says the hospital had to double their doctor staff to handle the number of patients coming in and that most patients coming in have mild symptoms and are clogging up the system for children who really need emergency care.

"The emergency room has been completely overcrowded," she said. "The main problem is the other children that are really sick and need immediate attention. I mean it's very hard when there are so many people in the emergency department to sort out who is absolutely very sick and needs to be seen immediately. There is a delay for those children also."

Health officials updated the latest count for the state Wednesday morning to 299, with 26 new cases confirmed. Health Commissioner Richard Daines said the new cases include nine in New York City, where the number stands at 201. The total outside the city rose to 98, with 13 cases in Nassau County, two in Rockland, and single cases in Westchester and Monroe counties.

Meanwhile, the list of schools closing as a result of the swine flu continues to grow. By Wednesday afternoon, 43 schools in the CBS 2 HD viewing area had announced they were closed or closing due to swine flu fears. 

The latest schools to join the list are: 

* Saint Demetrios School in Astoria (closed wednesday for precautionary reasons, reopening either Friday May 22 or Tuesday May 26th)

* P.S. 130 in Bayside (closed until Tuesday, serves grades k-3rd)

* P.S. 242 in Flushing

* P.S. 993 in Bayside

* All 12 schools in the Levittown School District in Nassau County will be closed Thursday.

* School #3 in the Fort Lee School District, N.J. The school is closed until May 26 as health officials investigate one probable case.

Symptoms of the swine flu include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting as well. Anyone experiencing severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, should seek health care and treatment. The best way to prevent additional cases of flu in schools is to stay home when sick, cover your mouth when coughing and sneezing, and wash hands frequently.

For those who are ill, the recommendation is to stay home until they are symptom-free for at least 24 hours.

Eating pork or pork products cannot spread the swine flu.

Q&A: What Is Swine Flu?
 CDC Swine Flu Facts Sheet
 Learn At Home Student Guides
 CBS News Interactive: Fighting The Flu
 CDC Emergency Updates Via Twitter
 Swine Flu Twitter Live Search Results
 David Burnia's Swine Flu Watch On Twitter



 

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