Due to the increased number of respiratory viruses in the community, Phoenix Children's Hospital has temporary visitor restrictions in effect starting 5 a.m. Friday.
If you are visiting a child in the hospital, you must be at least 12 years old and without respiratory symptoms.
"Young children are not as careful with hand-washing and other measures that help prevent the spread of infections," said Dr. Scott Ostdiek, a medical director at the hospital. "Even simple colds can be life-threatening for hospitalized children who may have other serious health problems."
Symptoms of respiratory virus may include fever, coughing, labored breathing, wheezing, and nasal congestion. Respiratory viruses are the leading cause of lower respiratory tract disease in young children and the leading cause of death among low-birth-weight babies.
