Partner with us to prevent the spread of influenza
At UW Medicine, protecting our patients, visitors, staff, faculty and trainees from the flu is a top priority. Influenza can adversely affect our patients and the individuals who care for them.
UW Medicine is taking additional precautions, based on information from Public Health-Seattle & King County, the Washington Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control.
For faculty, staff and trainees who do not provide direct patient care, Hall Health Primary Care Center offers good information on flu prevention.
At Harborview Medical Center and UW Medical Center, along with our Neighborhood Clinics and other patient care entities, we ask that patients, families and visitors partner with us to prevent the spread of the flu.
- Visitors who are experiencing flu-like symptoms, or have been recently exposed to someone with the flu, should return when they have recovered.
- Upon entering – and leaving – a patient’s room, visitors should clean their hands with gel or soap and water.
- Sneeze or cough into the crook of your arm, or cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, dispose of the tissue and wash or gel your hands.
- Vaccines offer the best protection for both the seasonal flu and H1N1 virus.
- Stay home if you have flu-like symptoms.
- If you have a fever, wait at least 24 hours after your fever is gone (without the use of fever-reducing medicine) before returning to work.
Additional hospital precautions include:
- All staff are being encouraged to get vaccinated.
- To help stop the spread of the flu, staff wear surgical masks, eye protection, gowns and gloves upon entering the rooms of patients who have suspected or confirmed flu.
- Patients with suspected or confirmed cases of the flu may be isolated from other patients to prevent the flu from spreading.
- When patients with flu-like symptoms arrive in our clinics or emergency departments, we ask them to wear a surgical mask to cover coughs. Staff caring for patients with symptoms wear a mask, eye protection and gloves.
Resources
For additional information on the flu, vaccines, where to get vaccines and how to treat the flu, refer to the links below.