Although no USM students have contracted the H1N1 flu virus, the school is urging the campus community to be prepared.
In a mass e-mail to students, faculty and staff last Monday, Dr. Kristine Bertini, director of University Health and Counseling, reiterated the importance of cleanliness and precaution in battling the H1N1 – or Swine Flu – virus.
The e-mail came a day after Governor John Baldacci declared a state of civil emergency for the State of Maine due to more confirmed cases of H1N1. Baldacci made the decision in order to make it easier for those afflicted to get access to vaccines.
According to the Maine Center for Disease Control, as of last Tuesday, 360 Mainers have contracted the disease, hospitalizing 19 and killing one.
“The flu – “seasonal” as well as H1N1 – is clearly on our minds and will almost certainly impact the USM community,” she wrote. “It is important for us to prepare as best we can for dealing with the H1N1 influenza virus,” she wrote.
“Since a vaccine is not yet available, the only mechanisms we have for preventing the transmission are self-care, personal responsibility and limiting exposure between ill and well individuals,” she added.
While rare flu strains like H1N1 – or “swine flu” – usually present the biggest threat to the very young, very old, or those already weakened by other illnesses, the Maine CDC notes that 60 percent of cases in Maine have been in individuals under 25 years of age.
“This virus spreads very rapidly in a residential setting with youth,” said Dr. Dora Ann Mills, Director of the Maine CDC.
One hundred fifty-four of the reported cases of H1N1 this summer came from Maine’s long list of summer camps; some of which set up quarantine zones to prevent the virus from spreading among campers.
“Twenty five percent of summer camps in Maine were affected by H1N1,” said Ann Conley, Clinical Director for University Health and Counseling. “But we learned a lot from those camps – they were very prepared and had no hospitalizations.”
USM senior Ben Converse, an international studies major, worked as director of operations at Laurel South, a summer camp in the town of Casco. The camp had five confirmed cases of H1N1 over the summer.
“It’s ridiculously contagious,” said Converse, who volunteered to help watch over 70 quarantined campers, believing he had already contracted the illness and developed an immunity to it earlier in the summer.
But Converse’s run-in with the much-maligned H1N1 left him feeling that the dangers were being somewhat exaggerated.
“They would have a fever for maybe a day, day-and-a-half,” said Converse. “But it was not that big of a deal.”
Anticipating the presence of H1N1 at this summer’s session, Laurel South’s director brought in experts from the CDC and an infectious disease professor from Columbia University to assuage the fears of the parents who spent $6,000 for the four-week camp.
“The director did a good job explaining how they were going to keep it a normal camp experience, he was working really hard to keep the camp open” said Converse, who delivered food, games, and a Nintendo Wii to the cabin-bound campers.
Converse’s experience with H1N1 has led him to question some of the warnings currently being doled out by medical professionals.
“They say you should stay home for a full day after your fever breaks,” said Converse. “But you are contagious for days before you even show any symptoms,” which he said usually manifest as a cough, sore throat, and extreme exhaustion.
While USM has had no reported cases of H1N1, the cramped atmosphere of Gorham’s dorms, and the tightly packed classrooms of the Portland campus present a convenient platform for the transmission of the flu.
Bertini advises any students who believe they might have the flu not to attend class, campus events, or go to the dining hall.
“Because isolation minimizes the spread of the flu, our recommendation will be for students to stay at home for the duration of your illness,” said Bertini, who encouraged student to remain at home, or otherwise isolated, until 24 hours after the fever subsides.
While incidents of swine flu in Maine are far from crisis levels, Governor Baldacci signed a Proclamation of Civil Emergency Due to a Highly Infectious Agent last Monday to allow state agencies to quickly respond to outbreaks and institute a statewide vaccination campaign.
“We know that controlling the spread of the flu in schools is one of the most effective ways to slow the disease,” said Baldacci.