Published: February 20, 2008 01:50 pm      

Flu hits area care facility

Staff responds quickly at onset

DUNCAN — Five residents at the Country Club Care nursing home are improving after contracting the flu last week.

The first of the five cases was reported Feb. 9, with the decision to restrict visitors coming on Feb. 11, when it was deemed that the outbreak was being brought in by guests.

The last flu case confirmed was Feb. 14, and Country Club Care Director of Nursing Casey Etheridge said that the guest restriction is still in effect.

“We haven’t locked the doors, but we are asking that people who are sick or have any kind of cough to not visit,” Etheridge said. “We’ve worked with the state health department in treating those with the flu and in treating our other residents and staff.”

Etheridge added that the last recorded flu outbreak at the nursing facility was in 2003, and was treated with Amantadine.

The drug was used as a treatment for type-A influenza, but doctors have since recommended that Tamiflu be used in the treatment and prevention of flu types A and B.

“The Tamiflu prescription prices are much more expensive, but it was provided for our employees and residents at no charge,” Etheridge said. “Since we’ve treated everyone, the situation has improved.”

The severity of the outbreak ranged from three residents being treated in-house to two others being hospitalized.

Etheridge said that one of the hospitalized residents has returned to the nursing home, but the other still remains under doctors’ care.

Becky Coffman, an epidemiologist in the Acute Disease Service at the Oklahoma State Department of Health, added that the elderly are not necessarily more prone to contracting influenza, but that they are more susceptible to complications.

“Those in extreme age, which are people 65 and older and children under 5, are always more likely to get pneumonia, dehydration or other respiratory diseases as a result of influenza,” Coffman said. “The staff at Country Club Care were proactive in treating the outbreak and preventing it.”

Coffman added that the OSDH worked with the Stephens County Health Department and the nursing home officials in recommending the necessary treatments and taking the proper preventive measures.

“Hygiene is key in preventing the virus from spreading,” Coffman said. “They called us and we worked with them on control measures, such as separating those infected or wearing masks if handling the sick residents. The facility was already proactive in providing vaccines, and they reacted quickly to contain the outbreak. They haven’t had an illness in a week now, so we consider it one of our success stories.”

Typically, in late January and early February, cases of influenza increase throughout the state.

The current flu level has jumped from sporadic to local and regional levels, and is now in its third week of widespread classification.

For the influenza level to be deemed as widespread, there must be an increase in lab confirmed cases in four of the eight regions of the state. Coffman confirmed that the peak is normal for this time of the year, considering the many strains of flu that develop.

Country Club Care nursing home residents received vaccines in November, but current influenza vaccines prevent only two forms of type A and one of type B. Coffman said that since the vaccine was given, flu types have changed.

“We’ve had different variants this year, and that could be a reason for the increase in cases,” Coffman said. “The current flu vaccine can still provide a certain level of protection against new strains, but other methods of prevention are key.”

Coffman reiterated that the staff at Country Club Care nursing home was able to suppress the outbreak because of a swift response in treatment and prevention.

“We must give them a lot of credit for how they handled it,” Coffman said.

“This time of year is tough on schools, living centers and nursing homes. There were no major complications and everyone is recovering. They did a fantastic job.”