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Professors, admin adjust policies to prepare for H1N1
By Manuel Cintron
Monday, September 7, 2009
Across the whole of the UCF campus, students may be looking twice when they hear a sneeze, or shuffle uncomfortably in their seats when nearby classmates cough.
The impending fall weather brings the reoccurring flu season to fruition again, this year accompanied by a level of heightened alertness and concern due to the H1N1 virus, better known as swine flu.
Working in combination with the Health Center and the Center for Disease Control recommendations, the UCF administration is urging professors to not require medically excused absences for students claiming to be exhibiting influenza-like symptoms.
?We're being told to stay home, but I don't know if it's that big a deal,? said Catherine Dee, a freshman at UCF.
Professors themselves have made swine flu addendums to their syllabi.
?I've added a day to the number of absences a student is allowed if they wish to acquire extra credit. It just isn't worth coming to class sick for extra points,? said Harry Weger, a professor in the Nicholson School of Communication.
Dr. Michael Deichen, medical director for UCF Health Services, said they've seen a fair amount of H1N1 virus cases in Central Florida already.
?We started detecting cases in May,? Deichen said. ?They peaked somewhere in July.?
According to the Center for Disease Control, H1N1 is an influenza virus variant which combines genetic material normally occurring in influenza viruses and combines it with human being viral genetic material.
H1N1's peculiarity is what makes it difficult for most people's bodies to produce antibodies against it, according to the CDC.
?Over the summer, we detected 100 students with 'influenza-like' symptoms on campus. Of those 100, 25 were diagnosed,? Deichen said.
UCF's Health Center has implemented fast and efficient methods of detecting the virus in order to discern those with H1N1 from the rest of the student population.
?We're using something called a 'Quick-View' Test,? Deichen said.
The test consists of taking a mucus sample from the nasal secretions of a patient, which can instantly deliver a result of either positive or negative for the virus. But Deichen said the test isn't perfect.
?The test has a 70 percent sensitivity capability,? Deichen said, meaning that three out of 10 students tested could be given false negatives, and may actually have the H1N1 virus.
When students with influenza-like symptoms approach the Health Center to be diagnosed, they are given surgical masks and are asked to wait at the center until a diagnosis is complete.
?We urge self isolation until being fever-less for 24 hours,? Deichen said.
Those found to have H1N1, Deichen said, are urged to practice self isolation by staying inside their apartments, relying on others to get what they need and avoiding contact with others.
?This isn't the first time the United States has encountered H1N1,? Deichen said, ?There have been two other occasions in the 1950's and 1970's.?
In light of this, UCF is planning large scale vaccinations for the student body.
?Back in January, we actually began working on something like this in conjunction with the Centra-Care Walk-In Clinics. We had hoped to break the Guinness World Record for most people vaccinated against influenza in one day,? Deichen said.
Deichen said that the cause is all the more serious now and that the mass vaccination for seasonal flu is scheduled to start on Sept. 30. H1N1 vaccines are to follow in October. It is best however, to get all available vaccinations, Deichen said. Seasonal flu vaccines will cost $10 and all H1N1 vaccines will be administered free of charge.
The severity of H1N1 is little help in discerning it from the regular, seasonal flu. Deichen said the symptoms are generally the same and that most people don't incur the highly severe symptoms and complications many have heard from in recent media coverage.
?I had one student come in, testing positive for H1N1. We gave her Tamiflu, an antiviral, and she was 90 percent better within 48 hours,? Deichen said.
To help prevent contracting the virus, wash hands thoroughly for twenty seconds, Deichen said, about the same time as singing the ?Happy Birthday? tune twice. He also suggests supplementing hand washing with alcohol based sanitizers. The virus can spread through contact with infected people and contaminated surfaces as well as a ?hot-zone? of six feet from an infected individual.
Surgical masks are only effective when worn by people diagnosed with H1N1 to prevent spreading it to others, according to the UCF Health Center. To prevent contracting the virus, N95-grade respirator masks are the most effective, only up to a four hour period at best, Deichen said.
Student reactions are split about the direness of the situation.
?I'm concerned; my English teacher flat out said there is going to be an outbreak,? Rafael Nieves, a freshman micro and molecular biology major said.
Nieves said he had recently been to Mexico, but never saw any anyone with swine flu nor knew anyone who knew the infected, which makes him doubt some of the hype.
There has been concern that the vaccines haven't gotten enough hype and that students will dismiss them as ineffective, but Deichen hopes this doesn't happen.
?This is a most unusual time with the threat of H1N1 and the vaccine is the most effective preventative measure. We urge anyone and everyone to get both kinds and associated boosters when they become available in the near future,? Deichen said.
For more information on H1N1, visit flu.gov, cdc.gov/h1n1flu, or the Health Center's Web site, which is continuously updated with the latest H1N1 information.
http://www.centralfloridafuture.com/professors-admin-adjust-policies-to-prepare-for-h1n1-1.1868092
By Manuel Cintron
Monday, September 7, 2009
Across the whole of the UCF campus, students may be looking twice when they hear a sneeze, or shuffle uncomfortably in their seats when nearby classmates cough.
The impending fall weather brings the reoccurring flu season to fruition again, this year accompanied by a level of heightened alertness and concern due to the H1N1 virus, better known as swine flu.
Working in combination with the Health Center and the Center for Disease Control recommendations, the UCF administration is urging professors to not require medically excused absences for students claiming to be exhibiting influenza-like symptoms.
?We're being told to stay home, but I don't know if it's that big a deal,? said Catherine Dee, a freshman at UCF.
Professors themselves have made swine flu addendums to their syllabi.
?I've added a day to the number of absences a student is allowed if they wish to acquire extra credit. It just isn't worth coming to class sick for extra points,? said Harry Weger, a professor in the Nicholson School of Communication.
Dr. Michael Deichen, medical director for UCF Health Services, said they've seen a fair amount of H1N1 virus cases in Central Florida already.
?We started detecting cases in May,? Deichen said. ?They peaked somewhere in July.?
According to the Center for Disease Control, H1N1 is an influenza virus variant which combines genetic material normally occurring in influenza viruses and combines it with human being viral genetic material.
H1N1's peculiarity is what makes it difficult for most people's bodies to produce antibodies against it, according to the CDC.
?Over the summer, we detected 100 students with 'influenza-like' symptoms on campus. Of those 100, 25 were diagnosed,? Deichen said.
UCF's Health Center has implemented fast and efficient methods of detecting the virus in order to discern those with H1N1 from the rest of the student population.
?We're using something called a 'Quick-View' Test,? Deichen said.
The test consists of taking a mucus sample from the nasal secretions of a patient, which can instantly deliver a result of either positive or negative for the virus. But Deichen said the test isn't perfect.
?The test has a 70 percent sensitivity capability,? Deichen said, meaning that three out of 10 students tested could be given false negatives, and may actually have the H1N1 virus.
When students with influenza-like symptoms approach the Health Center to be diagnosed, they are given surgical masks and are asked to wait at the center until a diagnosis is complete.
?We urge self isolation until being fever-less for 24 hours,? Deichen said.
Those found to have H1N1, Deichen said, are urged to practice self isolation by staying inside their apartments, relying on others to get what they need and avoiding contact with others.
?This isn't the first time the United States has encountered H1N1,? Deichen said, ?There have been two other occasions in the 1950's and 1970's.?
In light of this, UCF is planning large scale vaccinations for the student body.
?Back in January, we actually began working on something like this in conjunction with the Centra-Care Walk-In Clinics. We had hoped to break the Guinness World Record for most people vaccinated against influenza in one day,? Deichen said.
Deichen said that the cause is all the more serious now and that the mass vaccination for seasonal flu is scheduled to start on Sept. 30. H1N1 vaccines are to follow in October. It is best however, to get all available vaccinations, Deichen said. Seasonal flu vaccines will cost $10 and all H1N1 vaccines will be administered free of charge.
The severity of H1N1 is little help in discerning it from the regular, seasonal flu. Deichen said the symptoms are generally the same and that most people don't incur the highly severe symptoms and complications many have heard from in recent media coverage.
?I had one student come in, testing positive for H1N1. We gave her Tamiflu, an antiviral, and she was 90 percent better within 48 hours,? Deichen said.
To help prevent contracting the virus, wash hands thoroughly for twenty seconds, Deichen said, about the same time as singing the ?Happy Birthday? tune twice. He also suggests supplementing hand washing with alcohol based sanitizers. The virus can spread through contact with infected people and contaminated surfaces as well as a ?hot-zone? of six feet from an infected individual.
Surgical masks are only effective when worn by people diagnosed with H1N1 to prevent spreading it to others, according to the UCF Health Center. To prevent contracting the virus, N95-grade respirator masks are the most effective, only up to a four hour period at best, Deichen said.
Student reactions are split about the direness of the situation.
?I'm concerned; my English teacher flat out said there is going to be an outbreak,? Rafael Nieves, a freshman micro and molecular biology major said.
Nieves said he had recently been to Mexico, but never saw any anyone with swine flu nor knew anyone who knew the infected, which makes him doubt some of the hype.
There has been concern that the vaccines haven't gotten enough hype and that students will dismiss them as ineffective, but Deichen hopes this doesn't happen.
?This is a most unusual time with the threat of H1N1 and the vaccine is the most effective preventative measure. We urge anyone and everyone to get both kinds and associated boosters when they become available in the near future,? Deichen said.
For more information on H1N1, visit flu.gov, cdc.gov/h1n1flu, or the Health Center's Web site, which is continuously updated with the latest H1N1 information.
http://www.centralfloridafuture.com/professors-admin-adjust-policies-to-prepare-for-h1n1-1.1868092