U. takes extra precautions as swine flu spreads

“We’re being vigilant in testing, and there have been no cases on campus,” Cliatt said in an e-mail. “We’re screening students who arrive at McCosh [Health Center] with significant flu-like symptoms, including sending tests to local labs.”

The announcement from the University comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an advisory against all non-essential travel to Mexico on Monday. UHS Director John Kolligian explained in an e-mail sent to the campus community Tuesday afternoon that the University does not promote travel to regions for which the U.S. government has issued warnings.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised its pandemic alert level to Phase 4, and there has been “verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause ‘community-level outbreaks,’ ” according to the organization’s website.

The strain of flu responsible for the outbreak in Mexico — called H1N1 — has been identified in Americans. The strain of the flu virus found in CDC-tested samples from infected Americans was very similar to the strain found in Mexico, and the CDC noted that the strain is “unique” because, genetically, it is a combination of swine, bird and human flu viruses.

As of Tuesday morning, 64 cases of swine flu had been identified in the United States by the CDC. Besides the five suspected cases in New Jersey, there are 45 confirmed cases in New York and 10 confirmed cases in Southern California, and cases have also been reported in Texas, Kansas and Ohio. Currently, there have been no deaths in the United States as a result of swine flu, but The New York Times reported Tuesday night that there have been at least 152 flu-related deaths in Mexico.

Undergraduates traveling to Mexico on University-sponsored programs may have to reconsider their travel plans, as the University has decided to cease approving and funding undergraduate travel to Mexico because of the recent outbreak of swine flu in the country, Kolligian said in the e-mail.

“The many offices on campus that work with students and faculty who travel abroad have consulted with UHS and [Environmental Health and Safety] to confirm we have no students currently traveling in Mexico and none who has traveled to Mexico recently enough to be considered within the 10-day incubation period,” Cliatt noted.

UHS has advised all individuals who have traveled to affected regions to monitor themselves for flu-like symptoms, which typically include high fever, fatigue, coughing and chills. Vomiting and diarrhea have also been reported in cases of swine flu, which is thought to be transmitted in a manner similar to that of the seasonal flu: primarily through coughing and sneezing. The disease cannot be contracted through the consumption of properly prepared pork.

The University recently dealt with an on-campus outbreak of pertussis, another disease transmitted by coughing. Cliatt said that the University’s “Cover Your Cough” campaign will be expanded to include signs in all dining facilities, Dillon Gymnasium, communal spaces and washrooms across campus. Eating clubs have also been asked to display signs promoting the campaign.

UHS has posted a sign restricting visitors to its infirmary.

“We typically close the infirmary to visitors when there are cases of students with gastrointestinal issues that might be contagious, or a few cases of regular flu, or other conditions for which there’s a chance that someone could be contagious,” Cliatt said, explaining that the move helps prevent the spread of infections. Alternatively, she said, the staff often closes the infirmary to visitors when they need to focus on patient care without distractions.

Cliatt noted that, as a precaution, some patients and practitioners in UHS will also wear masks, but she added that this is a routine procedure.

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This is not the first time the H1N1 swine flu strain has caused an outbreak. In 1976, an outbreak occurred at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Roughly 230 infections were reported — 13 of them with severe respiratory illness — among soldiers at the fort, and one soldier died.