POINT PLEASANT — Crowds continue to flock to area medical centers due to influenza-like illnesses.

And Pleasant Valley Hospital has experienced an influx of people showing up at the Emergency Care Center in hopes of being tested for the H1N1 virus. However, hospital officials urged those who have general influenza symptoms to stay home since hospital care is typically not needed, unless there are underlying medical conditions.

“If people are having general flu-like symptoms, it’s a common course to stay home and get a lot of rest and a lot of fluids,” Stacy Wright, RN, Infection Prevention/Employee Health Nurse, said.

There also has been an increase in people visiting the hospital and requesting anti-viral medications such as Tamiflu, but those medications are in short supply and are typically given only to patients with the greatest risk of developing complications, such as children younger than five years old and adults older than 65 years old.

According to Diana Riddle, administrator and nursing director of the Mason County Health Department, the majority of healthy children and adults will recover without a visit to the doctor. In addition, the treatments for both H1N1 and seasonal influenza are the same.

Those who have H1N1 typically feel better within a week. However, in some cases, those affected have developed pneumonia and other serious illnesses that require hospitalization. Health officials do not want to discourage people from visiting emergency rooms if they are severely sick, but they suggest consulting a doctor first if they believe they have the H1N1 flu virus.

The H1N1 flu is a new flu virus. While it is different from the seasonal influenza virus, the symptoms are quite similar. The H1N1 virus spreads from person to person through coughing, sneezing and sometimes by touching objects that have been contaminated with the virus.

Symptoms of H1N1 include a sore throat, cough and fever greater than 100 degrees. Those effected also may experience frequent sneezing, fatigue and chills along with body aches. In some H1N1 cases, diarrhea and vomiting have been reported.

Vaccinations against the H1N1 virus should be available in the coming weeks in Mason County. According to health department officials, when the vaccines do arrive they will be available to priority groups first.

Priority groups include pregnant women; people who live with or car for children younger than six months of age; health care and emergency services personnel; people between the ages of six months and 24 years of age; and people ages 25 through 64, who are at higher risk for novel H1N1 due to chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.