Though still weeks away from the peak of flu season, the UVA Elson Student Health Center’s running tally of “influenza like illness” cases among University students rose to 342 as of October 8.
Worst-case scenario projections estimate about 40 percent of the U.S. population contracting the H1N1 virus, the so-called “swine” strain of the flu, this season, equating to approximately 8,000 UVA students. As of September 30, six deaths associated with H1N1 have been reported in Virginia, including the death of a man from the Thomas Jefferson Health District in late September.
Luckily, the first shipments of the H1N1 vaccine have reached Virginia last week. According to the Virginia Department of Health, 83,700 doses of live, attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) have been delivered to hospitals and local health departments. This initial shipment will be given to health care and emergency medical services workers. Approximately 6 to 7 million doses of LAIV are expected to be ready to order in the next week, and additional doses will be produced and made available regularly thereafter.
James Upshaw, a UVA junior, was diagnosed with swine flu a couple of weeks ago.
“I was diagnosed but not actually tested,” he says. “Isolation and quarantine were the doctor’s orders, but of course it was really on me to make sure it happened. I live with four other guys, so I stayed to myself and kept a mask on around the house.”
UVA’s Health System and student health center received a preliminary shipment on October 6 and are administering the vaccine to employees.
At a Center for Disease Control press conference on Oct. 1, Dr. Anne Schuchat assured the public that this vaccine is made very similarly to the seasonal flu vaccine, and that it has been adequately tested. “As a doctor and health expert, I would strongly recommend the H1N1 vaccine … for anyone who wants to reduce their risk of this virus,” she said.
The University has implemented a campaign advocating sanitation and isolation as the best means to contain the spread of swine flu among students. Students, staff and faculty are reminded to wash their hands and cover their coughs and sneezes.
At the general medicine wing of the Student Health Center, signs are posted asking students to use hand sanitizer dispensers and to don surgical masks in order to contain the spread of germs through coughs and sneezes. About 10 to 20 cases of flu are reported daily to Student Health.
According to the UVA’s Influenza Information Phone Hotline, in most cases students do not need to come in and see a clinician, and coming into the health center without an appointment is discouraged. At-home self-care is the recommended course of treatment for students.
As of Oct. 2, 5,639 employees have been vaccinated, which is over half of the workforce. The University is holding its Annual Flu and Immunization Clinics on Oct. 26. H1N1 vaccination clinics are planned for November as well, once more information regarding availability is known.