Idaho emergency rooms filling up with flu patients

MERIDIAN -- It's being called an epidemic and the swine flu is only supposed to get worse in the next few months.

Hundreds of patients are pouring into local emergency rooms and that's forced some changes at hospitals.

Hospital officials say flu-related emergency room visits are up 100 percent in the past week.

Between Oct. 4-10, the emergency room at all three St. Luke's locations treated nearly 600 patients suffering from some sort of influenza.

By comparison, in 2008 those doctors saw little more than 50 patients.

"It has been a chaotic time, we have been expecting it, we have been building up and we expected a high volume and it's come to fruition," said St. Luke's spokesman Ken Dey.

The hospital is taking steps to prevent the spread of flu within its walls.

Masks are being worn?and for the first time the maternity ward is off limits -- only the new baby's grandparents and siblings are allowed in.

Inside the emergency room it is like a scene out of a movie.

All those who fear they have influenza are being asked to wear medical masks and sit in a separate location away from the other patients.