An in-house swine flu scare sidelined two Shellharbour Hospital doctors yesterday as the number of suspected cases on the South Coast soared.The scare prompted the health service to close the emergency department at Bulli Hospital while staff were shuffled south to cover the shortfall.An infectious diseases specialist later cleared the doctors to return to work, but across the South Coast the number of suspected cases rose to 31 and hospital presentations markedly increased.
Swine flu: Warilla High student in quarantine after cruise Bulli resident Jackie Sangster said she was turned away from Bulli Hospital emergency department after waiting more than an hour for a doctor to see her nine-month-old son, who had woken up with a runny nose."A nurse came out and told us that the casualty had completely closed down," said Ms Sangster, who later went to a chemist for care."Apparently the doctors at Shellharbour were sick themselves."He said 'we can take your names and I'll forward them to Wollongong Hospital, but at the moment the place is absolutely stuffed and you'd be in there for eight hours'." Health experts declared a full-blown swine flu epidemic inevitable yesterday as the number of confirmed cases rose to 67 across Australia. According to a spokesman for the health service presentations to Wollongong Hospital were up 25 per cent yesterday."Hospitals across the state are experiencing increased presentations to emergency departments as a result of the onset of the traditional flu season coupled with the increased number of people taking extra precautions in seeking advice about swine flu," the spokesman said.He confirmed two doctors at Shellharbour "requested precautionary screening" before they were assessed, diagnosed with cold-like symptoms and cleared to return to work."Our staff are vigilant in addressing any early signs of cold or flu to ensure they remain well," he said.According to the spokesman the closure at Bulli was brief and all patients were redirected to Wollongong Hospital."Bulli ED was closed to new patients for 30 minutes (from 10am to 10.30am) while the staff adjustments were being made but a doctor and nurse remained on duty to care for patients," he said."During this time six patients were redeployed from Bulli to Wollongong and one sick child remained under care at Bulli Hospital."Bulli Hospital does not take ambulance admissions, in keeping with the strategy to treat the most serious patients at major hospitals."
