Colleges brace for flu wave

Colleges in North Georgia and Tennessee are bracing for a second wave of “influenzalike illnesses” just as campuses are recovering from a fall surge.

“Since the beginning of the fall semester, we’ve seen 63 students with flulike illness,” said Jen Allen, a spokeswoman at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Ga. “We expect there will be another increase this year.”

At Dalton State College in Dalton, Ga., resident assistants in the on-campus apartments plan to move sick students to empty apartments to prevent the flu from spreading, said Jodi Johnson, vice president for enrollment and student services, and the school has prepared “pandemic survival kits.”

“We will give them bottled water, canned soup, clean towels and disposable paper goods to make it through the first couple of days,” Ms. Johnson said.

Since Aug. 30, 530 deaths have been attributed to the flu, both H1N1 and seasonal flu, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Although no deaths have been reported in the last few weeks, the flu is widespread nationally on college campuses, according to the American College Health Association.

More than 56,000 college students have reported flulike illnesses, and last week alone 9,128 cases were reported nationwide, the association said. The rate is 28 cases per 10,000 students, 36 percent higher than two weeks ago.

“Unexpectedly, the resurgence of flu activity has been observed in several regions that had previously seen declines,” a statement by the American College Health Association read. “The Southeast, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast regions have all experienced a rebound in disease.”

People with symptoms no longer are being tested for swine flu. However, the CDC has said that 99 percent of cases involve the H1N1 virus.

For the first time, many colleges and health departments were able to begin offering the H1N1 vaccines this week, and officials are rushing to immunize health care personnel, who then can give the vaccine to students.

The H1N1 flu shot will be available to UTC students next week at University Health Services, located inside the University of Tennessee Family Building on campus, said Ms. Smith.

H1N1 vaccines, in the form of a shot or nasal spray, also are being offered to the public at North Georgia and Tennessee health departments and by private physicians, officials said.

But at the same time, only 43 percent of schools reported having the vaccine on hand, the American College Health Association report shows. College students are being encouraged to protect themselves with smart behavior — frequent hand washing, avoiding sick people — because they may not be able to get vaccinated.

“The best hope for reducing the impact of the pandemic on campuses and to prevent further transmission throughout our communities is to achieve higher rates of vaccination,” said Dr. James C. Turner, president of the American College Health Association.

Local health department officials have encouraged private physicians to order the H1N1 vaccine through the state health department, especially obstetricians and pediatricians, said Jennifer Yim, a public information officer at the Hamilton County Health Department.

Some private physicians are immunizing patients, but many still are waiting to receive their shipments of the vaccine, she said. Retailers such as Walgreens and CVS will offer the vaccine once there no longer is a shortage, she said. “Eventually, the vaccine will be available to everyone and anyone who wants it,” Ms. Yim said.

Dalton State’s Ms. Johnson said school officials have not seen a serious uptick in influenzalike illnesses. So far, no students in on-campus apartments have reported flu symptoms, and professors are not reporting absentee rates of more than 15 percent, she said.

Still, Ms. Johnson said, officials are preparing for another wave. More than 100 students, faculty and staff at Dalton State have received the seasonal flu vaccine, and this week the local health department offered the H1N1 vaccine.