While cases of the swine flu have not been reported at the Downtown campus, medical officials at the ASU Health Center said they are not ruling out the possibility that the virus has surfaced.
Health Center Director Denise Link said the H1N1 virus is thought to have had a presence because its uncommon timing.
“It’s kind of unusual for us to be seeing seasonal flu and so many cases of it so early for Arizona, so one might be able to suspect, at least, that these cases that we’re seeing are the swine flu and not the regular seasonal flu,” Link said. “But we really have no way of knowing that.”
There have not been any confirmed cases due to the fact that the Department of Health and Human Services requested screenings only be performed in cases dealing with hospitalization or death, Link said.
“We know if someone is hospitalized if they have swine flu, but if they’re still out in the community, and they’re able to take care of themselves, and get by with either self-management or going to see their primary health care provider in the community, then you’re not going to know how many of those are actual cases,” she said.
Family Nurse Practitioner Keira Stevens, the only full-time nurse practitioner for the Health Center, said she has seen flu-like symptoms that she said were H1N1 cases.
“It’s definitely here,” Stevens said. “We’re seeing it, and, so far, the cases I’ve seen have been very mild.”
Patients with flu-like symptoms have been treated in the same way as seasonal flu patients since both viruses are respiratory influenzas and the Health Center is not able to conduct testing for the H1N1 virus, Link said.
“As long as you’re able to relieve your symptoms with Tylenol and the usual cold preparations … then (you’re) fine, but if you start to have difficulty breathing, that’s a sign that your condition has gotten worse or more serious and you need to seek health care,” Link said.
Link said this particular strain of the respiratory flu has a 25 percent chance of causing intestinal problems like vomiting or diarrhea, which could cause dehydration and the need for I.V. fluids.
“It’s not something to be taken lightly,” she said.
In preparation for an outbreak of the H1N1 virus at ASU, Campus Health requested 20,400 vaccines. The first batch was delivered Oct. 30, which included 50 vaccines for all four campuses, Link said.
Eleven doses of the vaccine were provided to the ASU Health Center at the Downtown campus, all of which were given to the Health Center employees.
While students and faculty are waiting for the vaccine to be readily available, there are a variety of measures that they can take to prevent the spread of the virus after it has been contracted. Link said you can:
Stay home
Keep a distance of 6 feet from others
Dispose of all tissues
Cough and sneeze into a sleeve or Kleenex, rather than your hands
Avoid sharing computer keyboards or phones
Inform the community assistant and have food delivered to your room if you’re living in a dorm
“Those are very effective (measures) and almost as preventative as actually getting the vaccine,” she said.
Link said this is not a quarantine situation yet and the Health Center is not recommending that people isolate themselves beyond just staying at home or in their rooms. She said it is beneficial to have roommates keeping an eye on each other in case the illness progresses and requires greater medical attention.
“There’s no need for the other roommate to feel as if they’re in any danger,” Link said.
Health Center Medical Assistant Floyd Daniels said he is skeptical that there have been cases of the H1N1 virus at the Downtown campus, however he expects to see cases by December or January.
Even with the H1N1 pandemic, Daniels said it is still important that students get the seasonal flu shot, especially if they’re living in a close environment, such as Taylor Place.
“The flu shot isn’t a guarantee that you won’t get the flu, but it will lessen the impact,” Daniels said, adding that the health center has administered around 70 flu shots since Sept. 14.
Daniels said even though this strain of the flu virus has symptoms that are more severe than the seasonal flu it should not warrant panic.
“I think there is cause for concern, but not cause to be overly concerned,” he said.
Contact the reporter at slsnyder@asu.edu
