Influenza A (H1N1) Updates

In the three weeks since our last update, 25 additional people have reported leaving campus due to flu-like illness. This brings the number of reported flu-related absences since the start of school to roughly 45.

Most people have experienced relatively mild symptoms and returned to campus within a week, though some have reported a lingering cough, according to Barb Nash, director of Campus Health Services.

Illnesses have been relatively isolated and do not appear to be spreading rapidly in residence halls, classes or among roommates. One person was moved to temporary housing for several days before leaving campus. The individual returned to campus in less than a week.

As always, cleanliness, good and frequent handwashing, and covering your cough and sneeze are key to getting and staying healthy. Students, this includes cleaning your room and washing linens at least once a week.

Maintenance Services will continue following the protocol of wiping down all hard surfaces in classrooms, and deep cleaning common bathrooms and dorm rooms of students who have left campus because of flu-like illness.

Seasonal flu vaccine

Please be reminded there will be a seasonal flu vaccine clinic from 3-7 p.m. Thursday, October 29, in Kerns Religious Life Center. The clinic is open to all students, faculty and staff on main campus, at the Law School and at Trinity Lutheran Seminary.

Flu shots will be given on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. If you have an egg allergy or if you are pregnant, you should not get this particular flu vaccine, though other seasonal flu vaccines are safe for pregnant women.

The cost is $10, and you will be given a bill after you arrive and register. The bill can be paid in the Finance Office.

H1N1 vaccine

Capital has pre-registered to receive the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available. The Ohio Department of Health has confirmed receipt of our order, and all inspections of our facility have been completed successfully. Local health departments are administering the vaccine to pregnant women, health care workers and children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years, as well as to their caregivers.

Vaccine production is slower than expected, so we do not know when the H1N1 vaccine will be widely available on college campuses.

As always, when we receive pertinent information about H1N1 and its affect on Capital, we will inform you using the pandemic flu web pages, the Daily Sheet and other university communication tools.

As September draws to a close, we continue to see a comparatively low number of absences due to flu-like symptoms. Since classes started, fewer than five people have left campus (Bexley and Law School) due to flu-like symptoms. In each case, the individuals recovered and returned to Capital in about a week.

This duration typifies how the virus seems to be affecting college students nationwide. Even though some universities are experiencing widespread outbreaks, the virus so far has caused relatively mild illness in most people, and the average person recovers in about a week with no complications.

In some cases though, H1N1 flu has caused serious illness and even death. That's why it's important to stay informed about changes in how the virus is affecting people and organizations, to know how to reduce your chances of getting sick, and to know what you should do if you do get sick.

Last week, Capital joined other colleges and universities at a meeting with local public health authorities to share information and coordinate planning, communication, and strategies to minimize the spread of H1N1 flu on college campuses in Central Ohio. Here is what we learned, along with a few reminders about things we (and you) already know.

An ounce of prevention is worth ... well, you can't put a price on health, right?

It sounds like we're in grade school, but we cannot stress enough the importance of:

• frequent, proper hand-washing (30 seconds is longer than you think.)
• covering your cough or sneeze
• disinfecting high-contact surfaces (cell phones, keyboards, doorknobs, etc.)
• staying home if you're sick
• getting vaccinated for seasonal flu and H1N1 flu
  

Vaccine availability (H1N1 and Seasonal flu)

The Food and Drug Administration has approved an H1N1 vaccine, but it hasn't arrived in our community yet. When it gets to Ohio, the Department of Health will distribute it to medical clinics and health care providers. Capital has pre-registered to receive the H1N1 vaccine.

Because certain groups of people are considered to be particularly vulnerable to H1N1 flu, the vaccine will be administered to those groups first. Groups will be prioritized in this order:

1. pregnant women
2. caregivers and those who live with children under 6 months
3. health care and emergency medical services personnel
4. all people from 6 months to 18 years of age
5. young adults from 19 through 24 years of age
6. people 25-64 years old who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza
   

So, while the first shipment of the vaccine is expected to arrive in Ohio next month, it might be as late as December before it is widely available to campus health clinics. If you fit into a group prioritized above tier 5 — young adults 19 through 24 years of age — check with your family doctor to see when you might be eligible to get the H1N1 vaccine.

At this time there is no anticipated shortage of H1N1 vaccine. Even though December may seem late to get vaccinated, the nation is currently in the second of three projected waves of H1N1 outbreaks. The first wave hit in spring 2009. It’s expected to spike this fall, and public health officials anticipate another wave in spring 2010. So even if you have to wait until December to get vaccinated, it's still worth it. And, even if you've been sick and it's presumed you had H1N1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend you get vaccinated anyway.

Seasonal flu vaccine

The seasonal flu vaccine is available and currently being administered in Ohio. A small supply has arrived at the Health Center, and the first vaccines will be available to students next week at a vaccine clinic organized by senior nursing students and the health clinic. See the Daily Sheet for details. Another shipment is expected to arrive in early October. When it arrives, it will be made available to students who still need it, and to faculty and staff. Additional seasonal flu vaccine clinics are being organized through United Health Care for university employees who carry United Health care insurance. Watch the Daily Sheet and your Capital email for more information.

What to do if you get sick

Self-isolation is critical. If you're sick with the flu, we want you to go home. But you need to tell us you have left. And since no one wants to make a bunch of phone calls when they're coming down with the flu, we've tried to make it easy for you by developing a short online form for reporting flu-related absences. You'll find the form at www.capital.edu/pandemicflu.

If you think you have the flu and you need to leave campus, fill it out, click submit, and it will be emailed directly to the people who need to know you have left campus. For all students on main campus, that's Student Affairs. For employees, it's Human Resources. For the Law School, it's the assistant dean for Administration and Finance, who will inform the right people.

We’ll keep your information private. And if you're too sick to fill out the form yourself, someone else can fill it out for you. They just have to give us their name.

Students, you'll still need to contact your faculty members to make arrangements for missed work or class time. Remember, use this form only if you are reporting an absence related to flu-like illness.

H1N1 diagnosis, testing and reporting

Everyone wants to know if Capital has had its first confirmed case of H1N1. The answer is, we presume so, but we don't know for sure. And we may never know. Here's why.

As H1N1 flu spreads, the frequency of testing decreases since people who are sick are encouraged to isolate themselves and avoid public places. That means it's harder to gauge the number of actual H1N1 cases. The test is also expensive to administer, and some medical professionals question its accuracy.

So, since it's unusual to see seasonal flu before October, some doctors presume that patients who are currently experiencing flu-like symptoms have H1N1 flu — even if they haven't tested for it. Those are considered "presumptive" diagnoses of H1N1 flu.

The Ohio Department of Health will test for H1N1 only when someone is sick enough with the flu to be hospitalized, or when someone dies. Because it's a matter of public health, officials will notify Capital if a student or employee has a confirmed case of H1N1 flu. So the only way we'll know for sure that someone in the Capital community has a confirmed case of H1N1 is if they were sick enough to be hospitalized. And we hope that doesn't happen.

Of course, if it does, we'll notify the campus community when we receive notice. And just as we have been doing, we'll also notify you when students or employees leave campus because they are experiencing flu-like symptoms. Just check the Updates link on Capital's Pandemic Flu page for the latest information.

Public health officials agree there is no need to panic. By having a plan to manage pandemic flu and to communicate effectively with students, faculty, staff and parents about the importance of prevention, care and vaccination, we will help slow the spread of H1N1 flu and other viruses in our community. And we'll all be healthier for it.

A student informed her resident assistant she was experiencing flu-like symptoms. The student has returned to her parents' home, where she will remain while she recovers.

As a precautionary measure, Maintenance Services is deep-cleaning the student's room and the shared bathroom. The university continues to monitor H1N1 flu and will keep the campus informed of new developments. There currently are no confirmed cases of H1N1 flu at Capital. If the situation changes, we will inform you here.

As always, it's important that you do what you can to keep yourself healthy. Visit www.capital.edu/pandemicflu for answers to common questions about H1N1 flu, tips on how to stay healthy, and what you should do if you get sick.

Update: It since has been determined these symptoms were caused by seasonal flu and not H1N1 flu.