As influenza cases rise across the state, Marshalltown is no different. So far during this flu season, UnityPoint Health Marshalltown has seen a higher number of cases than usual, but fortunately there has been some improvement in numbers.

“We peaked around 36 percent just before the holidays, which is quite high,” said UnityPoint Marketing Communications Specialist Sean Hylton. “But we’re down to 21 percent now and have declined each of the past two weeks. At this time, patient volumes remain manageable, we have not paused elective surgeries and we’ll continue to monitor the situation closely.”

Medical officials in Iowa have said the flu season started early this year, with it normally starting after January. The state Iowa Influenza Surveillance Network weekly flu report lists Iowa at Level 10 – High flu activity, meaning severity and spread is at high alert levels.

Fourteen deaths have been attributed to the flu in Iowa.

According to Hylton, the strain of flu which has primarily struck Marshalltown is Influenza A, keeping with the national trend. Patients who were admitted with the flu managed to recover and go home within a few days.

Some hospitals in central Iowa have reported a shortage of beds, and even delayed surgeries due to the higher number of flu cases. Hylton said UnityPoint Marshalltown has 16 inpatient beds and 16 beds in the emergency department. Surgeries have not been paused at this time.

“We’re actively monitoring capacity to ensure patients’ needs are met,” he said.

If the hospital does reach full capacity, but patients are still coming in, Hylton said they will rely on their skilled triaging care doctors and nurses.

“If needed, we have the ability to transfer patients to other facilities to ensure they receive appropriate treatment,” he said.

Hylton said it is not too late for people to get the annual flu shot to provide further protection for themselves and their families. Also, people should limit exposure, consider wearing a mask in public, wash hands often, disinfect surfaces, cover coughs and sneezes, avoid touching your face and stay home if sick. He urged people to wait until they are fever-free for 24 hours before returning to public spaces.

For the folks who do get a flu strain, Hylton said rest and staying well-hydrated is the best course of action toward recovery.

“Over-the-counter medications like Tylenol or ibuprofen can help reduce fever and body aches,” he said. “Avoid aspirin in children and ibuprofen should not be used by pregnant women or children younger than 6 months old. We have a lot of education about influenza at unitypoint.org, so simply search for ‘flu’ on our website.”

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.