A Letter on the H1N1 Pandemic
 |
Dear Parents,
When the World Health Organization declared an influenza pandemic earlier this year, we knew that our primary objective was to plan for the health and wellbeing of our students. We immediately reviewed and revised our pandemic preparedness plans, which included effective communication with our students about the situation. We know students often turn to their parents first for health information, and because of this, we feel it is equally important to provide you with accurate, current information about the flu situation at WSU. |
|
We saw an influx of students with flu-like symptoms the Friday before classes began. Throughout the first two weeks of classes, we estimate we were in contact with about 2,000 students with flu-like symptoms. These contacts include phone conversations with our telephone nurse, in-person conversations with our nursing staff, and patient visits with our health care providers. We were unable to confirm whether all of our patients had H1N1 flu, but we knew this: To see any level of flu activity at this time of year is highly unusual. We also know that 99% of all flu circulating in the United States right now is H1N1. Based on this information, it is probable that a significant portion of those students did indeed have H1N1 flu.
Although the number of students with flu-like symptoms has significantly decreased since our peak weeks, we continue to see about 20 patients a day who probably have the flu, and we expect to see illness from seasonal as well as H1N1 flu throughout the country as we move into our traditional flu season. Because of this, we are encouraging all WSU students to get vaccinated as early as possible for seasonal flu. Health and Wellness Services will have seasonal flu vaccine available while supplies last. We do not yet have information about when our H1N1 vaccine may arrive. As soon as we have details available, we will notify the campus community.
One of the most commonly asked questions we hear is, “What should a student do when they think they have the flu? ” For most patients, the treatment for H1N1 flu is the same as seasonal flu. Take acetaminophen for fever, drink plenty of fluids, and rest until recovered. The overwhelming majority of our early patients responded well to this treatment and recovered within three to five days.
The best word to describe the seriousness of the flu pandemic at WSU is moderate. This means that most of the people who get this flu will recover well without the need for hospitalization or even medical care from a doctor. This does not mean however that we shouldn’t take flu seriously. There is a portion of our population with a higher risk for potentially serious complications from all strains of influenza, including H1N1. As a community, we need to take precautions to limit the spread of the virus as much as possible to help protect those of us who have this elevated risk.
This means that in addition to practicing basic respiratory etiquette – covering our coughs and washing our hands - students with the flu should try to self isolate as much as possible. This can be difficult to accomplish when living in a residence hall or other shared housing. The University has posted suggestions for achieving self isolation on the WSU H1N1 Web page, and the Centers for Disease Control has posted guidelines for caring for the ill . Students should use these suggestions and guidelines to decide a course of action that works best for them as an individual.
Any student with an underlying medical condition such as cancer, blood disorders (including sickle cell disease), chronic lung disease [(including asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)], diabetes, heart disease, kidney disorders, liver disorders, neurological disorders (including nervous system, brain, or spinal cord), neuromuscular disorders, and weakened immune systems (including people with AIDS) s hould talk to a health care provider about whether they need to be examined if they develop flu-like symptoms.
Also, it’s possible for healthy people to develop severe illness from the flu . Students should seek medical attention right away if they have any of the following emergency warning signs :
· Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath · Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen · Sudden dizziness · Confusion · Severe or persistent vomiting · Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
Students who are at all unsure about their symptom status or whether or not they should seek medical attention are strongly encouraged to call our 24-hour telephone nurse at 509-335-3575 or come in to be seen. While we were in the peak of our flu outbreak, hold time for callers on the nurse line increased to 20 minutes or more, but this is not standard. We did bring in extra staff to accommodate patient and parent needs, and we have the resources to do this again if necessary.
I encourage any parent with questions to review the University’s H1N1 flu page and to follow Health & Wellness Services’ flu blog . You can find information on these pages about University policy and the current situation at WSU. Please feel free to contact us or comment on our blog if you have additional questions or need information that we have not provided for you.
Sincerely, Bruce R. Wright, MD Executive Director Health & Wellness Services | |