Hospitals begin limiting visitors over H1N1 flu – LA Times
Alarmed by the spread of the H1N1 flu, hospitals throughout California and neighboring states restricted visitors this week, barring children and capping the number of visitors per patient.
In Los Angeles, Cedars- Sinai Medical Center on Monday raised the minimum age for visitors from 12 to 18 and restricted the number of visitors for patients at greatest risk for H1N1, including those in labor and delivery, or in the pediatric and neonatal intensive care units.
"This epidemic is different from the typical flu season, and we're having to respond in a different way," said Dr. Rekha Murthy, Cedars-Sinai's medical director of hospital epidemiology. "It's spreading like wildfire in the community and we need to protect the patients who are most vulnerable."
