With the threat of swine flu looming over campuses across the country, the U.S. government has been working diligently to help universities prevent widespread outbreaks of the disease.
“The flu season has most definitely begun,” said Dr. Beth Bell a physician with the Centers for Disease Control. “Nearly all of it is H1N1 flu.”
Emergency room visits are higher this year than expected for flu related symptoms, she said.
Catherine Felix, Director of Student Health Services said there are more than 80 incidents of “Influenza Like Illnesses” at Chico State. There isn’t a way for the school to determine if a student who presents flu like symptoms has seasonal flu or the swine flu.
“I don’t have any clue how many H1N1 confirmed incidents there are, but we do have at least 80 ILI cases that we have identified among Chico State students,” she said.
Twenty-one states have widespread influenza activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. California is not yet considered to have widespread flu activity. It is considered to be a regional issue by the CDC.
The H1N1 virus is a very serious matter and the colleges and universities are doing a good job of controlling the virus, said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a conference call.
“It is just so critical and important as a country that we really take the H1N1 virus seriously and that we do everything we can to minimize the disruption to the educational process,” Duncan said.
Prevention, close monitoring and common sense are the three most important themes in order to help limit the spread of the H1N1 virus, he said.
“I’ve actually been extraordinarily pleased to see colleges and universities really respond in a thoughtful, practical way,” Duncan said.
Isolating those students that present flu like symptoms is very important in preventing the spread of the disease, he said. Sick students should not attend class and wait until 24 hours after the break of the fever to go back to school.
Students also need to pay attention to their hygiene during flu season, Duncan said.
“We know that flus are dangerous year in and year out and the H1N1 virus is just as or more dangerous than the seasonal flu,” said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. “Disproportionately, the target population is young Americans under 25, so college students are right at the front of the line in terms of being targets.”
Some limited supplies of a vaccine for H1N1 should be available by the first week in October, Sebelius said. By mid-October, vaccines for H1N1 are expected to be widely distributed.
Until such a time as the vaccine becomes available, sneeze protocol will be important to prevent the spreading of illness to others, Sebelius said.
Sneeze protocol means covering your coughs or sneezes with your elbow or a handkerchief instead of your hand.
“That sounds kind of silly, but it is incredibly effective to stop the virus traveling from person to person,” she said.
“I’m not super worried about catching it, but I also wouldn’t be totally shocked if I did catch it,” said Grace Armstrong, a senior studying English literature. “I wash my hands a lot and I limit my contact with people.”
Grace said she plans to get a flu shot in order to help boost her immunity.
“It’s not at the top of my worry list, but it’s definitely somewhere in the middle,” she said.
Flu shots are being offered to students at the Wildcat Recreation Center this month on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Alex Maier can be reached at
amaier@theorion.com
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