Following a lull in the number of reported swine flu cases, the American College Health Association statistics indicate that the disease is returning to the country’s college and university campuses.
According to a survey of 98 American colleges and universities, 8,861 new flu cases were reported last week, with 20 hospitalizations and no deaths. The association reported 7,099 new cases for the week ending Oct. 16 and 5,959 new cases for the week ending Oct. 9.
Since the association began recording the statistics in August, there have been about 56,000 reported H1N1 cases, with 98 hospitalizations and no deaths.
While the seasonal flu strain normally doesn’t appear until December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is worried that these unexpected spikes in reported cases may cause a double dose of flu cases this holiday season.
“The vast majority of flu cases we’re seeing right now are H1N1,” said CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund. “When December comes though, the seasonal flu is going to start showing up across the country.”
According to the CDC Web site, those under the age of 25 are extremely susceptible to H1N1, while the seasonal flu mostly affects people over age 65. The agency is currently promoting vaccination as the best way to prevent infection.
The recent spikes in swine flu cases have forced pharmaceutical companies to increase production of the vaccine. This has slowed the production of seasonal flu vaccine. “There is a common perception that [there is a shortage of H1N1 vaccines],” Nordlund said.
“There are currently over 114 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine available, with hundreds of thousands of doses becoming available every day.”
At UT, H1N1 vaccines have not yet arrived, and University Health Services is unsure when shipments will come.
“We administered over 11,000 seasonal influenza shots last month on campus,” said Sherry Bell, UHS senior program coordinator. “Like thousands of other [clinics] we sent in a requisition for H1N1 vaccines, but we haven’t heard anything back yet.”
Bell said UHS is currently out of seasonal flu shots and does not expect any more shipments to arrive until the next flu season. They hope to receive the H1N1 vaccine by late November.
According to statistics released on its Web site, UHS has actually seen decreases in the past two weeks in the rates of influenza cases.
But Bell said students should take every precaution necessary to stop the spread of disease.
“I’m sure students are tired of hearing it, but wash your hands frequently and carry hand sanitizer,” she said.
The report also discusses the small amount of mercury in he H1N1 vaccine, which can cause organ damage in some individuals. This has led the federal government to appoint an independent panel of experts to examine the vaccine. According to their report, “to date, no serious adverse events have suggested any safety signals with H1N1 vaccines.”
Be the first to comment on this article!