When to seek medical attention

London Health Sciences Centre continues to see an increase in patients coming to the Emergency Departments and Urgent Care Centre, as well as an increase in patients diagnosed with influenza-like illness (ILI). Staff members are prioritizing patients based on level of illness, and members of the public are asked to exercise patience as they could face long wait times.

To help ease this situation, the public is asked to please avoid coming to the Emergency Department if at all possible, and to utilize the following advice on where and when to seek medical attention:

Consult a family doctor or walk-in clinic if you are feeling ill and are:

• less than 5 years of age
• 65 years of age and over
• pregnant or had a baby in the past 4 weeks
• very overweight

Or if you have the following medical conditions:

• lung problems, including asthma
• heart problems
• diabetes
• cancer
• problems with immune system caused by disease or medications, including HIV
• kidney disease
• problems with blood, such as anemia
• neurologic problems
• are less than 18 years of age and taking daily aspirin

Visit an Emergency Department or call 911 if you have:

• chest pain
• worsening shortness of breath
• blue lips
• inability to keep fluids down and symptoms of dehydration
• confusion, disorientation, seizures, difficulty waking
• fever that does not go away or comes back after four to five days

LHSC would also like to remind the public to visit the Middlesex-London Health Unit clinics in the community to receive their H1N1 flu vaccination. LHSC is not running H1N1 vaccination clinics for members of the public.