Flu epidemic hits the coulee

When Coulee Medical Center's infection control nurse went home for the weekend a couple weeks ago, the state of Washington was in the green, but had turned dark red by Monday morning.

Those are the colors that represent the best and the worst cases on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's map of the spread of flu across the country.

Sandy Edwards is the infection control czar at the local hospital, which was recognized by the state Dept. of Health this year for its control procedures, which include those face masks at the front door, hand sanitizers everywhere, and instilling in medical staff that washing hands between visits with patients is not optional.

And Edwards says it's not optional for you either, if you want to avoid getting the flu gripping the nation.

Speaking to the Grand Coulee Dam Rotary Club last Wednesday, Edwards reported that CMC has had more than 100 patients test positive for influenza this season. At one point, the lab ran out of tests, on which it had stocked up well, she said.

The hospital was full of flu sufferers last week.

One of the worst places you can pick up the virus, Edwards contends, is at the gas station. Think about that next time you reach for that nozzle to fill up your gas tank, and remind yourself to put that hand sanitizer in your car. (Edwards says it works.)

Much of society is a breeding ground for the illness. School children are walking petri dishes. Have them wash their hands as soon as they come home from school.

And airplanes force you to breathe recycled air from the guy two rows back who keeps sneezing. The moisture from coughs and sneezes, Edwards says, easily travels six feet. "Those droplets are gonna get ya," she said. And the virus can survive on surfaces anywhere from 12 to 72 hours, Edwards said.