Universities with widespread flu

[GhostRN]

Widespread defined as > 50 students:

Delaware: U Delaware: The university, in consultation with the state Division of Public Health, decided to stop sending swabs to a lab because it is now clear that H1N1 is present on campus. Both the symptoms and treatment are nearly identical to seasonal flu, and more than 500 students with flulike symptoms have already been treated, many with the antiviral drug Tamiflu. Knowing who has the new variety would neither aid in their recovery nor prevent its spread, public health officials said. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20090502_Mixed_reactions_on_flu_exposure_in_Delaware.html

 

[octane]

Re: Universities with widespread flu

Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA - confirmed
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/05/swine-flu-confirmed-virginia-college-student

Western Oregon University - 1 probable
http://www.wou.edu/health_closure.php

Newcastle University, UK - confirmed
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/tyne/8027200.stm

 

[gsgs]

Re: Universities with widespread flu

Universities are no longer needed. Learn over the internet.

 

[GhostRN]

Re: Universities with widespread flu

Octane - wanted this thread for widespread flu, not isolated case findings......

 

[tropical]

Re: Universities with widespread flu

Delaware: U Delaware: The university, in consultation with the state Division of Public Health, decided to stop sending swabs to a lab because it is now clear that H1N1 is present on campus. Both the symptoms and treatment are nearly identical to seasonal flu, and more than 500 students with flulike symptoms have already been treated, many with the antiviral drug Tamiflu. Knowing who has the new variety would neither aid in their recovery nor prevent its spread, public health officials said. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20090502_Mixed_reactions_on_flu_exposure_in_Delaware.html

The Universities must be shutted down preventively, without waiting the flu spreads by them.

At the begining, the students can be forced to stay at home, and the workforce could came at job, but if the flu is already make its appearance, them also must be released home with a decreased payments at least, until the wave passed.

 

[GhostRN]

Re: Universities with widespread flu

As a mother of a university grad next weekend.....universities and colleges are at the tail end of their semesters. Summer school is the question now.

 

[HeliumAvid]

Re: Universities with widespread flu

This may be a rather dim witted question, but if the Universities (and other groups) stop sending in samples to be tested, doesn't this skew the data rather severely towards fewer cases than there actually are. If the US is reporting say 87 confirmed cases and this university has some 500 active cases, doesn't this throw the statistical analysis way out of whack?

Thank you for an answer in advance

HeliumAvid

 

[GhostRN]

Re: Universities with widespread flu

HeliumAvid - its my opinion that this means we have crossed the threshold where all those with symptoms do not need to be tested...they'll be CDC guidance on this approach as they will go back to statistical sampling is my guess- if it isn't already out there.....CDC will want to keep a close eye on virus changes or new viruses. It will be important to track hospitalization numbers closes, and seeing if we can keep those numbers down by appropriate treatment pre-hospitalization. I can tell you if you end up in an ICU, they are really concerned. There just aren't enough ICU beds to assign them without serious considerations.

 

[colormyquilt]

Re: Universities with widespread flu

Welcome, HeliemAvid

 

[HeliumAvid]

Re: Universities with widespread flu

Thank you GhostRN;

My Background is an MSEE in Applied Nuclear Physics, my Daughter is just finishing up her PhD in microbiology at Stanford. After talking this over with her I think what bothers me is that if there is not some semblance of an accurate count of the true number of infections is that we are unable to determine several key numbers including the

1) Infection Rate (sorry I do not know the name of the variable but it is how easy is the virus spread),

2) to get a good handle on the incubation time (if you do not know how fast the infection is spreading, how can you know the infection incubation time?)

3) And most importantly when/if we start seeing deaths what the actual morbidity rate is.

If we do not have some idea of how many infections there are how can we determine how deadly this virus really is?

I guess I am worried that the numbers are being skew mostly because of the lack of testing facilities, therefore the CDC is unable to test the (possibly) exponentially growing number of cases. To get some handle on just how virulent this bug is we are going to need to come up with a way to assign the "Suspected" to a "Suspected and Exposed" pool to allow a better set of numbers to be obtained.

This is particularly poignant in the case of Mexico where the number of "Confirmed Cases" has dropped so low that it is incredulous that these few cases could have had contact with all of the people that took the disease to other countries. With the diversity of the spread of the disease from Mexico to as far West as New Zealand to many of the countries in Europe, and the 10's of cities in the United States and Canada, it is hard to believe that this "Spread of infection" came from just a hundred or so cases in Mexico.

So I do believe we need a method to mathematically account for those who were in contact with those who were tested positive and subsequently exhibited Flu symptoms, and in fact became carriers them selves.

Does that make some sort of sense?
It is the sort of analysis we had to do on much of the things I worked on for many years.

HeliumAvid

 

[tropical]

Re: Universities with widespread flu

As a mother of a university grad next weekend.....universities and colleges are at the tail end of their semesters. Summer school is the question now.

I'm aware of the importance of finishing the study year in time, instead of carry it to autumn, but I'm also much more aware that the most important thing of all live beings is health and life.

If you loose enaugh health, you did not give it back.
With some possibility of loosing a life because of complications with an novel multistrain virus, no matter how remote if the illness remains low profile, I shall prefere to stop now the studying, and continue it after the main wave of this pandemic slow down, vanish, or if not, when I'm vaccinated.

The actual school year could be partly accomplished by home studying from books/scripts/internet and later going directly to the exams in summer if it is neccessary, or by the edu unified decisions, in autumn, before the begining of the next year.

The here at FT today released link to the secretary of Hom. and Edu. USA, is well displayed the neccessity of make a pause, and also the main guideliness of how accomplish it.

Good luck (to all us), no matter the actual seriousness.

 

[GhostRN]

Re: Universities with widespread flu

HelliumAvid - I agree with some of your points and edited my comments.. Thank goodness we have epidemiologists to be the experts in tracking this. And that we live in the computerization age which makes tracking and communication so much more efficient.

 

[thebes]

Re: Universities with widespread flu

Harvard Dental School - as many as 9 students have the flu (2 confirmed)
school closed until Wed.

http://www.hsdm.harvard.edu/news/health_advisory.html

Johnson & Wales in Providence, RI - 3 confirmed case - school closed

http://www.turnto10.com/jar/news/lo..._force_johnson_wales_to_cancel_classes/13079/

 

[GhostRN]

Re: Universities with widespread flu (>50 students)

Re: Universities with widespread flu (>50 students)

I changed the title so "widespread" = 50 students or greater.