Broadlawns Medical Center today announced that it has implemented a temporary restricted visitation policy to help prevent further spread of the influenza virus during the current flu outbreak. Broadlawns joined Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines and UnityPoint Health – Des Moines’ hospitals, which enacted similar restrictions in the past two weeks. Though the guidelines vary by hospital, each is imposing a limit of two family members visiting each patient and asking people who are ill with the flu not to come to the hospitals as visitors. Last week, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported that flu activity in the state had increased to “widespread,” the highest level of activity. The most common flu virus circulating is the influenza A(H3N2) strain, although four different strains have been identified. Based on national estimates, an average of 300,000 Iowans get the flu every year, and together, flu and its complication of pneumonia cause an average of 1,000 deaths yearly in Iowa.