20 LSU Students Diagnosed With 'Type A' Flu In Past Week

[jeanne]

20 LSU Students Diagnosed With 'Type A' Flu In Past Week
School Says Several Sorority Hopefuls Have Virus
WDSU.com
August 15, 2009 BATON ROUGE, La. --

Officials with LSU said Saturday about 20 students have been diagnosed with a Type A flu bug in the past week.

Additional tests will not be performed, but the school said it presumes the strain is that of the H1N1 -- or swine flu -- variety.

Several of those infected were on campus for the start of sorority recruitment and are suffering from mild to moderate symptoms.

The illnesses are not considered serious enough to prompt the cancellation or postponement of sorority rush, the school said in a release Saturday afternoon.

Those who have contracted the bug have been advised to stay home for at least seven days or until 24 hours after all symptoms had passed. Ths university said it is following guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control.

An e-mail to students participating in sorority rush detailed precautions to reduce the spread of the virus.

Copyright 2009 by WDSU.com.

 

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Re: 20 LSU Students Diagnosed With 'Type A' Flu In Past Week

Sororities at LSU hit by flu
By JJORDAN BLUM
Advocate Capitol News Bureau
Published: Aug 16, 2009 - Page: 1B
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The swine flu appears to have hit Sorority Row at LSU, with about 20 students contracting influenza during the beginning of Greek rush week, the university reported Saturday.

The symptoms are ?mild to moderate? thus far and the affected students were sent home.

No sorority recruitment week events have been canceled, said Herb Vincent, LSU associate vice chancellor for communications.

?Multiple sororities have been affected ? it?s not just one,? Vincent said, noting that most of those who are ill are incoming freshman students.

There is no cause for alarm at this time and LSU officials are continuing to monitor the situation, Vincent said.

Affected students were advised to remain at home for at least seven days after the first signs of the illness or until 24 hours had passed with no symptoms of the illness, per recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vincent said he did not know how the students contracted influenza.

The students were diagnosed with Type A influenza. Routine tests for the swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus, are no longer being conducted by state and federal agencies. However, it is presumed that any Type A influenza circulating at this time of the year is the H1N1 virus, Vincent said.

LSU also has e-mailed students on campus for sorority recruitment to take precautions to avoid and reduce the spread of illness, such as covering the mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing, cleaning hands with soap and water, and cleaning frequently used surfaces such as books, counters, desks, doorknobs and keyboards.

For the convenience of students, the LSU Student Health Center announced special weekend hours of 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and today, with normal hours resuminn Monday, Vincent said.

Sorority recruitment week began Saturday and runs through next Saturday.

LSU reported its first case of swine flu earlier last week. But the ill student lives off campus and was not seen as a threat to start a campus outbreak.

In a separate incident, a 21-year-old woman from the New Orleans area who died Wednesday became Louisiana?s first known death from the H1N1 virus, according to the state?s health department.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/53343552.html?index=1&c=y

 

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Re: 20 LSU Students Diagnosed With 'Type A' Flu In Past Week

Louisiana State U. confirms 27 cases of swine flu


By Emily Holden
August 18, 2009
Source: The Daily Reveille, LSU



The Louisiana State University Student Health Center has confirmed a total of 27 cases of Type A Influenza as of Sunday afternoon.

Christine Sullivan, nurse manager, said several more cases were confirmed Monday. She said the student flu cases are likely swine flu because the regular flu season usually does not begin until October.

"We shouldn't be seeing flu this time of year," Sullivan said.

Sullivan said the Health Center treated one student with a confirmed case of swine flu about two weeks ago. She said the student lived off-campus.

Sullivan said the Health Center no longer sends positive samples to the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta to test for swine flu because they cost about $400 to process. She said the symptoms and treatments for Type A flu and swine flu are the same. The test for Type A flu is a simple nasal swab. Patients who test positive for either strain are treated with Tamiflu and should isolate themselves for seven days, Sullivan said.

Sullivan said swine flu symptoms are usually mild and include a dry cough, body aches and a fever.

About 20 of the confirmed cases of Type A flu were students involved in sorority recruitment. Kelli Huff, Panehellenic Council president, said Saturday those students were sent home and recruitment week events will continue as planned. Students have a higher chance of contracting the flu when coming in contact with many people, she said.

"If it wasn't rush week, we probably wouldn't be going through all the precautions we are because there's so many girls in close contact," Sullivan said.

Sullivan said any person who comes in contact with someone who has tested positive for flu should visit a doctor for treatment with Tamiflu. She said full-time students experiencing symptoms should visit the Health Center for treatment to prevent spreading the flu outside of the campus community. Sullivan said Residential Life is working with the Health Center to educate students about prevention.

Sullivan said she hopes employers and professors understand students who test positive for the flu need to stay home to avoid spreading the illness.

Students exhibiting flu-like symptoms at the Health Center are asked to wear masks to prevent spreading contagion until they are tested for the flu. Several students in the waiting room Monday around 1:30 p.m. wore masks while waiting to see a doctor.

http://www.uwire.com/Article.aspx?id=4176838

 

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Re: 20 LSU Students Diagnosed With 'Type A' Flu In Past Week

More than 2,500 students join campus life - 4:10 p.m.
ResLife makes no changes for H1N1 virus
Adam Duvernay

Senior Staff Writer

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Updated: Thursday, August 20, 2009

Though the H1N1 virus is making its impression on a freshly crowded
campus, thousands of students rushed onto school grounds
to fill residential spaces this morning only days before
classes begin.

More than 2,500 students made the trip from home with family to unload their belongings into tight living spaces and meet many of their roommates for the first time.

The mass move-in ? or Roaring into the Halls ? began at 8 a.m. when the
residential halls opened their doors to a convoy of freshmen.

ResLife has not made any special accomodations for the recent bout of
illnesses across campus, but ResLife director Steve Waller said he and
his team are taking care to follow the guides of the Student Health
Center and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

?Influenza is nothing new; we?ve had the flu for a lot of years,?
Waller said. ?There is a heightened awareness with this being a new
strain, but what the University has confirmed is that it?s a mild
strain.?

Waller said ResLife had already moved in more than 1,000 students
before today?s move-in, and he had not received any questions about
the H1N1 outbreak.

The students and their families were assisted across campus by
hundreds of ResLife workers and campus volunteers, directing waves of
traffic and hauling clothes, televisions and tiny refrigerators
throughout the dormitories.

Some of the ResLife assistants were freshmen themselves and said they
understood the confusion and frantic pace which covered residential
parts of campus early in the morning.

?Half of the kids are clueless and aren?t sure what to do,? said Allie
Petit, a freshman ResLife assistant. ?The other half walk in here like
they already own the place.?

Petit said she had been working a desk in Hergut Hall since 8 a.m.,
handing out room keys and taking damage inventory. She said she had
seen many parents crying throughout the day and many students who
seemed embarassed by them.

?I cry every day, but I?m very happy for her,? said Cindy Beaulieu,
mother of english freshman Alex Beaulieu. ?But they?re tears of
happiness.?

Beaulieu, who has four other children in college already, said she was
nervous to see her youngest finally leave home, but had faith in her
daughter to be safe and smart.

She said her career as a nurse has kept her up to date on the recent
H1N1 virus outbreak around campus, and she was sure to send her
daughter to school with plenty of hand sanitizer.

Some students said they were nervous about moving away from home for
the first time, while others seemed more excited about getting into a new
environment.

?This is such a big place, so it?s all really crazy,? said Kara Coe,
mass communication freshman. ?So, hopefully, the dorm will make it more
of a common experience.?

Marianna Knister, a political science freshman, said she grew up
in New Orleans and came to Baton Rouge because she didn?t want to
leave Louisiana.

?When you?re from New Orleans, you have a deep connection to it and
don?t want to be to far away,? Knister said.


http://www.lsureveille.com/more-than-2-500-students-join-campus-life-4-10-p-m-1.1817622

 

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Re: 20 LSU Students Diagnosed With 'Type A' Flu In Past Week

From a blog (edited)


Trip to LSU Health Center (Posted on 8/24/09 at 4:00 p.m.)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Had to go turn in some paperwork

All I can say is WOW


Looked like a third world country in there.... People everywhere and 75% of them wearing masks.


http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/messagetopic.asp?p=14802848