Children with mild flu symptoms overcrowding Seattle Children’s emergency room
Many parents, concerned about influenza A/H1N1 (swine flu), are bring children with mild or even no symptoms to the emergency room at Seattle Children’s, more than doubling the number of patients the staff usually sees at this time of year.
Most of these visits are unnecessary, hospital officials say, and are overburdening the emergency room’s resources.
“Most of these children have either no symptoms or very mild symptoms, and should not be coming in to the ED; they should stay home,” the hospital said in statement.
“We are asking parents to use the same judgment they would use during a typical flu season. If their child has a fever and respiratory symptoms including cough, sore throat, runny nose or nasal congestion, the CDC recommends that they stay home from school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.”
However, Seattle Children’s does advice parents to seek emergency assistance if their child experiences any of the following:
- Fast breathing or trouble breathing
- Bluish skin color
- Not drinking enough fluids
- Not waking up or not interacting
- Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
- Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
- Fever with a rash
The full statement from Seattle Children’s is below:
The number of visits to our Emergency Department (ED) has more than doubled as a result of H1N1 flu (swine flu) concerns. Most of these children have either no symptoms or very mild symptoms, and should not be coming in to the ED; they should stay home.
We are asking parents to use the same judgment they would use during a typical flu season. If their child has a fever and respiratory symptoms including cough, sore throat, runny nose or nasal congestion, the CDC recommends that they stay home from school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
Parents should seek emergency assistance if their child experiences any of the following:
- Fast breathing or trouble breathing
- Bluish skin color
- Not drinking enough fluids
- Not waking up or not interacting
- Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
- Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
- Fever with a rash
The safety of our patients and their families is our top priority. We are taking a number of steps to protect all of our patients and families, including the use of important infection control precautions such as:
- Urging parents not to take children to the emergency department that either have no symptoms or only mild flu-like symptoms.
- Isolation of any potentially infected patient, use of negative air-flow rooms and use of appropriate protective equipment like gowns, masks and eye guards.
- As a precaution, we are closing playrooms in inpatient and ambulatory areas. However, Child Life staff and volunteers will visit patients in their rooms.
- As a precaution, we are closing the Therapy Pool for patient and family recreational swim and other community swim programs. Water therapy sessions for patients are still occurring as scheduled.
- As a precaution, we are also postponing community events and tours at the hospital.
Our Children’s Resource Line (206) 987-2500 or toll-free at 866-987-2500 has a recorded message regarding swine flu (in Spanish and English) that will be updated on a regular basis.
The line will be staffed by nurses on the evenings and weekends to answer calls.
For more information please visit
Category: Child & Youth Health, Emergency Medicine, Influenza, Newborn and Infant Health, Seattle Children's
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