33 Babies Possibly Exposed To Swine Flu
Staff Member Exposed To H1N1 By Another Patient
UPDATED: 7:32 am CDT June 18,
2009
GREENSBORO, S.C. -- Babies in the neonatal intensive care unit at The Women's Hospital of Greensboro may have been exposed to the H1N1 flu virus, the Moses Cone Health System announced Wednesday afternoon.
A staff member may have unknowingly exposed the patients, the hospital said, adding that no infants appear to be infected at this point.
The staff member involved in the NICU exposure was exposed while treating a patient for possible asthma. Testing later determined the patient had H1N1. The patient is at Moses Cone Hospital and under strict respiratory precautions, the hospital said.
"The welfare of our patients is our top priority, and we are taking every precaution to ensure it," said Dr. Tim Lane. "We want to emphasize that none of the neonatal patients are showing any symptoms; however, we certainly want to ensure that they are protected."
The hospital said the 33 babies that may have been exposed are being treated with Tamiflu. The hospital is also screening all visitors and employees for signs and symptoms of infection before allowing them into the NICU. All parents, visitors and staff who may have been exposed are also being offered Tamiflu, the hospital said.
There were 125 confirmed cases of H1N1 by the North Carolina Department of Health Wednesday afternoon -- six in Alamance County, three in Guilford County and seven in Rockingham County.
"We are doing everything we can to protect those babies," Lane said.
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.