Swine flu expected to persist in 2010

By Matt Rupel

With the H1N1 virus expected to continue spreading well into the coming months, Santa Clara is fighting the flu by minimizing student exposure.

Nationally, the number of H1N1 cases diminished last week, but they are expected to fluctuate in the upcoming months. An estimated 34 million to 67 million Americans have contracted the H1N1 virus, according to the Center for Disease and Control.

The effect of the swine flu has been stronger in schools and universities due to the close proximity of students on a daily basis.

Additionally, the impact of H1N1 is most severe in the under-25 age group than in any other age group, according to the Cowell Student Health Center.

To counter this effect, many colleges enacted new rules, regulating the activities of students showing symptoms.

Cowell has been particularly active in the fight against the swine flu.

Over the fall quarter, Cowell gave 500 vaccinations. In November, the Health Center received several hundred swine flu vaccinations and held a clinic to administer them.

Yet, the exact number of infected Santa Clara students is unknown.

"It's hard to know because we're not seeing everyone her that's ill," said Peggie Robinson, the clinical manager of Cowell.

Cowell officially diagnosed and treated 154 cases within the fall quarter.

This number falls well below the national average, but not all students seek medical attention while sick.

This number does reveal a drastic increase in campus H1N1 cases this year, compared to last year. In the fall of 2008, Cowell diagnosed only 4 cases.

"Typically fall isn't a busy flu time," Robinson said. "Typically the traditional flu season starts in the winter."

To prevent more spreading of the flu, Santa Clara enacted a policy of quarantining any student displaying possible symptoms. The average isolation lasts for two days, but could last for anywhere around a week.

"I really was isolated," said freshman Michael Caracciolo. "People would just drop stuff off at my door, I called the dining services to set up my food delivery and that was really it."

Isolation is the best way to prevent the spread of disease.

The first step the CDC recommends is the "isolation of residential students with flu-like illness."

Although Santa Clara has not adjusted classroom guidelines to reflect students' illnesses, the CDC suggests schools alter attendance and other classroom policies to cope with the H1N1 virus.

At Santa Clara, each dormitory contains soap dispensers throughout the halls so that students can keep their hands clean regularly.

Additionally, there are signs posted throughout the campus reminding students to cover their coughs, wash their hands regularly and be aware of possible swine flu symptoms.

Meanwhile, some professors are afraid that students are using swine flu as an excuse to get out of class. They take a day off from class, blaming it on swine flu, when they may not actually be ill.

Likewise, students may indeed be sick, but overreact after panicking that they have swine flu.

As a result, they prematurely decide not to attend classes that day.

"There's so much fear out there about 'Oh my God, if you have flu-like symptoms you can have the flu," communications professor Barbara Kelley said.

"I think anytime anybody sneezes or coughs they're very wary and they're worried about whether they have the flu or not so they're more likely to stay home where they think they're supposed to stay," she said.

The World Health Organization expects the number of swine flu cases to decrease by the spring season.

Santa Clara plans to apply for more vaccinations at the beginning of this year.

Contact Matt Rupel at mrupel@scu.edu.