FirstHealth of the Carolinas has imposed visitation restrictions to curtail the spread of the H1N1 flu virus.

Under these restrictions, children under the age of 12 are not to visit at all, and visitation is limited to immediate family only. Further restricted are any persons experiencing flu-like symptoms, such as fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.

The FirstHealth directive further recommends that everyone remember to wash one's hands and cover mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing to prevent the spread of these infections.

Visitor restrictions apply at all FirstHealth hospitals: Moore Regional, Montgomery Memorial and Richmond Memorial. Patients are asked to adhere to these restrictions when visiting any area of the hospital, including rehabilitation and outpatient clinics.

"We appreciate the community's cooperation as we implement visitor restrictions to prevent the spread of the H1N1 flu virus," says Jayne Lee, director of infection control and patient safety at Moore Regional. "We apologize for the inconvenience that the visitor limitations may cause to family members and friends, but we feel this measure is a necessary precaution to protect patients."

FirstHealth joins most hospitals in North Carolina and elsewhere in the Southeast in imposing visitation limits until the H1N1 flu outbreak eases in severity.