Flu Season

GLENDALE -- Reports of anthrax contamination cases popping up in Nevada, New York and Florida in recent weeks have put doctors on a heightened alert for spotting symptoms of exposure to anthrax spores. And with the symptoms of an inhalation anthrax infection resembling the symptoms of a bad cold or flu, discerning the patients inflicted with the more serious disease will be the doctors' first task. "A normal hospital can screen for something that may look suspicious," said Dr. Milton Louie, infectious disease specialist for Glendale Memorial Hospital.

Student still hospitalized after crash LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE -- A Flintridge Preparatory School student injured when a school bus carrying 10 choir members was rear-ended by a big-rig truck was still hospitalized Tuesday, according to school officials. The student was hospitalized at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, Headmaster Peter Bachmann said. He did not release the name or condition of the student. The accident happened Monday on the eastbound Foothill Freeway in Pasadena while the bus was carrying the students to a performance.

GLENDALE — About 52,000 surgeon masks were delivered to the Glendale Unified School District this week as educators cope with the ongoing flu season. The shipment matches a roughly two-mask-per-student ratio, and district officials are developing a plan to maximize the masks, gloves and anti-flu materials distributed by state agencies. “Once we see what we’ve got, we’ll see what works best,” said Scott Price, Glendale Unified’s administrator of business services.

Jacqui Brown With the rationing of flu vaccines resulting in a surplus, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services announced it will expand the ranges of people eligible to obtain vaccinations. The department will use new priority groups established by the state's public health officer, Jonathan Fielding. "We are continuing to provide flu vaccines for those groups at highest risk through our clinics with the expansion of the priority groups," Fielding said.

Claudia Peschiutta VERDUGO HILLS HOSPITAL -- Myra Bartholomay arrived at the hospital on time Wednesday morning but hours later than hundreds of other people in her search for one of this winter's most coveted items -- a flu vaccination. "No chance of getting the flu shot, huh?" the 91-year-old La Crescenta resident asked a hospital volunteer in the lobby. By 9 a.m., close to 900 people had made their way through Verdugo Hills Hospital's free flu shot clinic, which began at 7 a.m. and was expected to go until 10 a.m. But Bartholomay decided to try her luck anyway, a move which paid off. Volunteers thought they had enough flu vaccine serum to provide only 870 shots but they were able to squeeze a little more out of vials and immunize about 15 additional people, including Bartholomay.

Having a son with hydrocephalus means that we are frequent visitors to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Josh is often in the emergency room, when we suspect that there could be a problem with the shunt that drains the excess cerebrospinal fluid from his brain to his abdomen. He has regular MRIs, as well as appointments with physicians in various departments, such as neurosurgery, ophthalmology, urology, neurology and gastroenterology. I am also on the Family Advisory Council at the hospital, so our family is very excited about the opening of the long-awaited new hospital facility.

Last September I wrote about how President Obama's health-care reforms directly impacted our family. Our 7-year-old son has hydrocephalus, a lifelong, life-threatening medical condition. Since this is a pre-existing condition, prior to the reform's changes, he would likely have had a difficult time getting an individual health-care plan or been forced to pay higher premiums. My son is not alone. According to a new study by the Department of Health and Human Services, up to 50%, or 129 million, non-elderly Americans have some type of pre-existing health condition, and up to one in five non-elderly Americans with a pre-existing condition (25 million individuals)

GLENDALE — With the new school year starting in two weeks, and the flu season not far behind, the Glendale Unified School District is sticking to emergency plans made earlier this year in response to the H1N1 virus, officials said. Public health agencies have warned that the virus, formerly called swine flu, is expected to become more prevalent this fall since it has continued to cause death and illness during the summer, which is generally flu free. Already this year, local hospitals have reported at least eight confirmed cases of H1N1.

GLENDALE — Local schools and hospitals took extra precautions Monday by wiping down doorknobs and checking residents for symptoms of swine flu following concerns from top U.S. officials about the spread of the deadly strain of influenza. While no deaths related to the swine flu have been reported in the United States, government officials declared a precautionary public health emergency. Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center screened patients who exhibited flu symptoms, but no one had the swine flu, hospital spokeswoman Amy Stricker said.