RSV and Influenza Restrictions Lifted at Sierra View Medical Center

Porterville, CA April 4, 2017: After almost three months of limiting visitor access and ensuring the safety of younger visitors, Sierra View Medical Center announced the end of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Influenza (flu) season on Monday, April 3. The local hospital has not seen a flu case in over two weeks and an RSV case has not been reported in over a month. The absence of these viruses in the area assures doctors and staff at Sierra View that allowing visitors under the age of 13 to once again visit any of SVMC’s acute care units, as well as the Distinct Part/ Skilled Nursing Facility, is not a risk to their health.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common virus that causes cold symptoms in adults and children. Though most healthy adults and children will experience nothing more than an infection resembling a common cold, infants and children with pre-existing medical conditions can experience severe and potentially life-threatening complications from RSV.

Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the flu virus that infects the nose, throat, and lungs. Approximately 5-20% of U.S. residents get the flu each year.

Throughout the season, the hospital evaluated and treated an estimated 35 cases of RSV and 67 flu cases which led to the visitor restrictions in an effort to prevent more serious cases of the virus from spreading in the San Joaquin Valley. However, the number of cases seen was representative of a fairly active season with maximum effort required to prevent the spread of these viruses.

As a family-centered hospital, Sierra View Medical Center took necessary precautions to ensure the safety and well-being of visitors who are more susceptible to the viruses, such as young children, as well as the well-being of patients, other visitors, and community members throughout the season.

Sierra View Medical Center no longer has visitor restrictions in place as of Monday, April 3 to allow for entire families to once again visit their loved ones receiving treatment at the hospital.