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Written by: Dan Merica
The Bentley community was informed of the campus’ first confirmed case of H1N1 flu this week by Gerri Taylor, assistant dean for the Center of Health & Wellness.
“We have had one confirmed case of H1N1 influenza on campus and that student is recovering,” said Taylor. “We are aware that H1N1 influenza has been found at many college campuses and we are therefore monitoring our students diligently to be sure that we identify any cases as early as possible.”
With the Department of Public Health announcing last Friday that the H1N1 vaccine would be delayed again and should not be released until mid-November, the Center for Health and Wellness is continuing to address issues regarding H1N1.
Though only one case has been confirmed, the Center for Health and Wellness has asked 20 students to leave campus. According to Taylor, most cases have ended up testing positive as “strep throat, mono, bronchitis, sinusitis or viral illnesses other than flu.”
In an e-mail to The Vanguard, Taylor also reiterated the importance of going home if you have flu like symptoms. Some students with flu like symptoms have informed the Center for Health and Wellness that even with their flu diagnosis they will stay on campus and tough-it-out.
“We have several students, faculty and staff on campus with high risk conditions including asthma, diabetes, cancer, pregnancy, or family members on chemo; these people are at a much higher risk than healthy students,” reported Taylor. “Any student, faculty or staff who insists on staying on campus with a fever and flu symptoms is putting the entire campus at risk for serious illness.”
According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, there have been 1,406 cases of H1N1 in Massachusetts, with 139 of those between the ages of 19-25 years old. Of those 139 cases, two people who live in Massachusetts have been taken by H1N1.
The Center for Health and Wellness is one of a number of sentinel sites in the state of Massachusetts, sites that are allowed to test twice a week for possible H1N1 cases. There are other tests, like the Rapid Flu Test that can be conducted by the Center for Health and Wellness, however, according to Taylor they are “only 30-70 percent accurate; therefore the CDC does not recommend its use.”
“The fact is, there could be other cases,” said Taylor, “we just can’t do any more tests.” Bentley has experienced some cases in which students have been administered the Rapid Flu Test and received a negative result, but have still been instructed to stay quarantined.
Due to the fact that only two tests per week can be sent to the state lab, the number of visitors to the Center for Health and Wellness, not the number of confirmed cases, according to Taylor, will indicate whether the campus is experiencing a H1N1 outbreak.
This year’s numbers have remained constant, with September 2008 drawing 838 students to the Center for Health and Wellness while September 2009 has 832 students visiting the Center. “We are really not seeing an uptick in influenza -like symptoms,” stated Taylor.
“If we begin to see a major increase in numbers of visits,” said Taylor, “this will be a soft indication that we may have more cases of the flu on campus. We have not seen this at this time.”
When asked whether she expected to have more cases of H1N1 flu, Taylor answered with a blunt, “yes.” “Most colleges have seen large numbers but I think our efforts to thwart the spread of flu have gone a long way to curb the spread,” said Taylor.
“As soon as we get the vaccine in hand, we will notify the campus and will set up clinics to provide the vaccine,” said Taylor. The Center for Health and Wellness has asked for 2,000 vaccines and has continued to lobby with the state to get the vaccine as soon as possible.
There will be two more seasonal flu vaccine clinics, on October 21 and November 10 offering all students, staff and faculty the opportunity to receive the common flu vaccine.
“We need our community to show their responsibility to each other at this time,” said Taylor. “We are not overreacting – we are trying to protect every one of our students, faculty and staff and we need everyone’s help to do this.”
The same precautions for preventing the spread of H1N1 are just as important today as they were at the beginning of the year. Students, faculty and staff should continue “washing hands, not sharing drinks, covering coughs, staying away from sick individuals, seeking medical care and staying home if they have fevers or have any flu-like symptoms,” concluded Taylor.
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