Taylorville Memorial Hospital is working hard to try to stop the spread of influenza. The Illinois Department of Public Health is encouraging hospitals to put temporary visitor restrictions in and Memorial Health System is obliging with their five hospitals. 

The five hospitals; Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Lincoln, Decatur Memorial Hospital, Passavant Area Hospital in Jacksonville and Taylorville Memorial Hospital, have all put a limit to two visitors per patient per time and all visitors must be 18 years old or older and show no signs of illness.

The CDC says that as many as 20 percent of all Americans get the flu each year, and washing your hands thoroughly can help prevent the spread of the flu along with getting the vaccination.

The state is starting to see an increase in the flu and that is why the IDPH has recommended these visitor restrictions. For more information about the flu including symptoms and prevention, visit the CDC website, or on Memorial’s Live Well Blog, livewellmagazine.org.