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Swine Flu Hitting College Campuses Hard

Officials Highlight Various Ways Students Can Protect Themselves

Sep 24, 2009 Kathleen Biesecker

As the H1N1 virus begins to pick up steam, college campuses around the country are experiencing large outbreaks among their population.

Close to 8,000 cases were reported in the week of Sept. 12-18. Just over 90 percent of the 267 colleges and universities reporting to the American College Health Association noted that they had new cases during that week. As of the end of September, there were more than 21,000 cases and 37 hospitalizations reported to the agency.

Close Contact

The close living quarters of most college dorms is exacerbating the spread of the troubling H1N1 flu virus, commonly known as swine flu. Small dorm rooms, communal restrooms, and the tendency to gather in large groups at sporting events or campus parties are all contributing to the spread of this new virus.

Colleges and universities across the country have focused on creating contingency plans to deal with potential campus pandemics. Emory University in Atlanta has tapped an old dormitory building that was slated for demolition as temporary housing for sick students. At Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, signs have been posted everywhere educating students about the signs of H1N1, hand sanitizer has been placed at strategic gathering points, and masks are being distributed to sick students.

Preventing the Spread

The H1N1 virus is primarily spread from person to person through coughing, sneezing, and respiratory secretions. The flu is contagious one to two days before and four to five days after symptoms start. It is marked by a high fever, sore throat, and chills. According to the Centers for Disease Control, as of late September, swine flu was rampant in the Southeast area of the U.S., with large outbreaks in some states in the mid-West.

Although health care professionals have long touted the benefits of hand washing as a preventive measure to protect against the flu, new research suggests that it may not be as effective as once thought. New research from the University of California-Berkeley finds that there is virtually no evidence that people can catch the influenza virus from germs that they pick up on their hands.

According to Arthur Reingold, head of epidemiology at the University of California, and codirector of the CDC-funded California Emerging Infections Program, humans are most likely to catch influenza by breathing in microscopic particles exhaled by infected people.

Tips for Students

Experts point to a number of things that college students can do to protect themselves. First, students should carry hand sanitizer at all times. They should plan to wipe down a shared classroom desk or shared buttons like those at ATM's and keypads for dorm entrances with a wet cloth or wipe.

Secondly, students should refrain from sharing utensils or cups with friends. Even though alcohol can kill germs, it must be pure liquor to do so. Beer and wine won't kill enough of the live virus to make it safe to share drinks.

Third, students should avoid close sexual contact with people they suspect of having the H1N1 virus.

Fourth, students should have a heightened awareness of how people around them are acting. Students who are coughing, sneezing or appear to have weeping eyes are probably infected.

The copyright of the article Swine Flu Hitting College Campuses Hard in General Medicine is owned by Kathleen Biesecker. Permission to republish Swine Flu Hitting College Campuses Hard in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Sneezing Spreads Swine Flu Virus