nosferatu_dj
18-07-2009, 08:37 AM
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/flu-puts-pregnant-women-in-intensive-care/1571432.aspx
Flu puts pregnant women in intensive care
BY DANIELLE CRONIN AND EWA KRETOWICZ
18/07/2009 10:04:00 AM
Three pregnant women struck down with swine flu are in Canberra Hospital as the outbreak causes a record spike in demand for services and could lead to longer waits in casualty and for elective surgery.
The three expectant mothers were in the intensive care unit yesterday morning a coincidence that could be unprecedented in Canberra, according to ACT Chief Health Officer Charles Guest.
''What this is showing is pregnancy is a risk factor for moderate and severe [complications for people infected with swine flu],'' Dr Guest said.
The three women were in a stable condition and one was moved into the ward by late yesterday, when ACT Health confirmed nine people were currently in hospital in Canberra suffering from swine flu.
Officials also reported that almost 450 cases of swine flu had been confirmed an increase of 52 cases in 24 hours.
The actual number of infections could be considerably higher because authorities had stopped testing everybody with flu-like symptoms after Australia moved to the ''protect'' alert level when the World Health Organisation declared the pandemic unstoppable.
The swine flu outbreak was driving up demand on Canberra's GPs, emergency departments and intensive care unit, Dr Guest said.
Pathology services and laboratories were ''at capacity''.
ACT Health Minister Katy Gallagher said yesterday elective operations might be cancelled as emergency departments struggled to cope with record demands.
''In June we have had record levels of demand at the hospital, demand that we have never seen before, considering that August and September are usually our busy months,'' Ms Gallagher said.
About 9000 people went to emergency departments in June, the increase attributed to the swine flu pandemic.
The sick could face longer waits in emergency departments and some elective surgery might be postponed if the situation continued.
''If we do wind back some non-urgent elective surgery it frees up capacity in our intensive care unit,'' she said.
Private hospitals could be asked to share the patient load.
''We will also look at redistributing some clinical work such as elective surgery and medical admissions across the ACT's hospitals public and private as well as expanding Hospital in the Home,'' she said.
Dr Guest said the swine flu strain, called H1N1, was becoming increasingly common.
Flu puts pregnant women in intensive care
BY DANIELLE CRONIN AND EWA KRETOWICZ
18/07/2009 10:04:00 AM
Three pregnant women struck down with swine flu are in Canberra Hospital as the outbreak causes a record spike in demand for services and could lead to longer waits in casualty and for elective surgery.
The three expectant mothers were in the intensive care unit yesterday morning a coincidence that could be unprecedented in Canberra, according to ACT Chief Health Officer Charles Guest.
''What this is showing is pregnancy is a risk factor for moderate and severe [complications for people infected with swine flu],'' Dr Guest said.
The three women were in a stable condition and one was moved into the ward by late yesterday, when ACT Health confirmed nine people were currently in hospital in Canberra suffering from swine flu.
Officials also reported that almost 450 cases of swine flu had been confirmed an increase of 52 cases in 24 hours.
The actual number of infections could be considerably higher because authorities had stopped testing everybody with flu-like symptoms after Australia moved to the ''protect'' alert level when the World Health Organisation declared the pandemic unstoppable.
The swine flu outbreak was driving up demand on Canberra's GPs, emergency departments and intensive care unit, Dr Guest said.
Pathology services and laboratories were ''at capacity''.
ACT Health Minister Katy Gallagher said yesterday elective operations might be cancelled as emergency departments struggled to cope with record demands.
''In June we have had record levels of demand at the hospital, demand that we have never seen before, considering that August and September are usually our busy months,'' Ms Gallagher said.
About 9000 people went to emergency departments in June, the increase attributed to the swine flu pandemic.
The sick could face longer waits in emergency departments and some elective surgery might be postponed if the situation continued.
''If we do wind back some non-urgent elective surgery it frees up capacity in our intensive care unit,'' she said.
Private hospitals could be asked to share the patient load.
''We will also look at redistributing some clinical work such as elective surgery and medical admissions across the ACT's hospitals public and private as well as expanding Hospital in the Home,'' she said.
Dr Guest said the swine flu strain, called H1N1, was becoming increasingly common.