2000+ suspected cases on college campus...

oramar · Sep 7, 2009

It is very simple, colleges are hit first because they went back first. In next week or two this will be elementary, middle and high schools. Matter of fact there are reports of sporadic outbreaks and that is the way it started in colleges. A flu that makes only 1% of the people that get it deathly ill does not sound very serious. The problem there being that there could be 30 million cases.

indigo girl · Sep 7, 2009

It is very simple, colleges are hit first because they went back first. In next week or two this will be elementary, middle and high schools. Matter of fact there are reports of sporadic outbreaks and that is the way it started in colleges. A flu that makes only 1% of the people that get it deathly ill does not sound very serious. The problem there being that there could be 30 million cases.

It is all over the country just about. I would not even call it sporadic at this point. We just haven't been posting it because there are way too many outbreaks to post. This college outbreak that the OP is talking about was hugh and that is why you are reading about it as it was too big to ignore.

Most of these kids will recover just fine, but with increasing numbers of cases, we will see increased numbers of deaths as well.

I have been tracking these, and now it is probably time to document them. It will be hard on all us to read of these deaths, but we do need to know that this happening. And, it is the very randomness of the deaths occurring in a population that is healthy that concerns me. I am not talking about people with prior existing conditions here, but kids that were healthy. That is the point of getting vaccinated, to help prevent some of these deaths...

oramar · Sep 7, 2009

It is all over the country just about. I would not even call it sporadic at this point. We just haven't been posting it because there are way too many outbreaks to post. This college outbreak that the OP is talking about was hugh and that is why you are reading about it as it was too big to ignore.
Most of these kids will recover just fine, but with increasing numbers of cases, we will see increased numbers of deaths as well.
I have been tracking these, and now it is probably time to document them. It will be hard on all us to read of these deaths, but we do need to know that this happening. And, it is the very randomness of the deaths occurring in a population that is healthy that concerns me. I am not talking about people with prior existing conditions here, but kids that were healthy. That is the point of getting vaccinated, to help prevent some of these deaths...

The 1918 flu left some people with some sever neuro problems even though they survived. Any reports Parkinson like tremors or GB?

indigo girl · Sep 7, 2009

The 1918 flu left some people with some sever neuro problems even though they survived. Any reports Parkinson like tremors or GB?

I have not heard this but, we have heard of a case of encephalitis in Japan, I think.

There will likely be a constellation of different s/s with everything from conjunctivitis, and tonsilitis to the usual flu symptoms and the unusual GI manifestations. And all of this without fever so if schools are looking at fever as a benchmark to acknowledge that these kids have flu, they are missing the mark because many positive cases are afebrile. This was noted back in April by CDC boots on the ground in Mexico. Do not expect fever.

Again, most people will recover without any problem, but some will not and we do not know who they will be. It's a crap shoot. More cases means more opportunity for bad outcomes, and increased ICU admissions. That is how it is.

Maine17 · Sep 8, 2009

I am a school nurse in Maine-550 middle school kids. School nurses across the country have been told to use fever as the primary symptom (for H1N1 screening), usually with cough, sore throat etc. The directive comes from the CDC-repeated attempts to address the findings of up to 40% of cases have been afebrile (initially) have been ignored by the CDC. Until the vaccine is available, the school setting is going to be a zoo! Even with an optimistic estimate of 40% of students that will recieve the vaccine, by the time they recieve two doses, separated by 3-4 weeks, add two weeks for antibody development-we are looking at mid-December.

HonestRN · Sep 8, 2009

The 1918 flu left some people with some sever neuro problems even though they survived. Any reports Parkinson like tremors or GB?

There have been several cases with encephalopathy and a couple with seizures. No lasting neurological problems.

Since April, the Dallas County health department has detected four cases of neurological complications in children with confirmed H1N1 infection, Jane Siegel, MD, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues reported in the July 24 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/SwineFlu/15231

Katnip, RN · Sep 8, 2009

My daughter moved into her dorm 2 weeks ago. She hasn't mentioned anyone being sick yet, but she's not one to pay attention to those things. The good thing is, she's very close to home so if she does get sick I can take care of her.

I have a feeling by the time the vaccine is actually available on campus, it will have spread so much it will be pretty much useless.

Are they still saying it will be 2 doses? I keep hearing them flip back and forth between one and two because the 1st dose gives 80% protection and second dose increases it to 90%.

indigo girl · Sep 9, 2009

So far, it is still two unless they have to use an adjuvated vaccine.

We would be hearing about it for sure, if it comes down to that.

ONCRN84 · Sep 9, 2009

They got all excited because it dwindled off over the weekend, but it's picking back up. About 140 kids a day are either calling or going into the Health and Wellness services. They estimate there's about 1000 more students that just haven't called or come in. I was going to go to a football game... now I might take a mask... =)

Spotty44 · Sep 9, 2009

1 hour south of me. I have several friends at WSU right now and one said her classes have been empty with so many people out sick, the other has been out for over a week. This could get ugly... H1N1 in the dorms?! In the greek system (HUGE at this college)?! I can't even imagine being a college student missing 5+ days of class... when class has only been in session for 2 weeks. Ugh. Get better Cougs! (I'm an alumni, btw)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/vp/32716063#32716063

I'm a WSU alumni as well! Doesn't surprise me at all that H1N1 is spreading like wildfire through campuses. I was in a sorority and, as in most greek houses, we all slept in the same rooms ("sleeping porches") for safety reasons. In our house we had one designated bedroom in the front of the house that someone could sleep in if they were sick so as not to spread germs on the sleeping porches. I can only imagine they're probably having to shuffle sleeping arrangements to help keep it from spreading because there's probably going to be a lot more than just one sick person in the house!

oramar · Sep 9, 2009

I'm a WSU alumni as well! Doesn't surprise me at all that H1N1 is spreading like wildfire through campuses. I was in a sorority and, as in most greek houses, we all slept in the same rooms ("sleeping porches") for safety reasons. In our house we had one designated bedroom in the front of the house that someone could sleep in if they were sick so as not to spread germs on the sleeping porches. I can only imagine they're probably having to shuffle sleeping arrangements to help keep it from spreading because there's probably going to be a lot more than just one sick person in the house!

I read about a campus that opened a flu dorm to help keep people infected isolated. I think it was somewhere in Atlanta. They were interviewing the students from the inside of the flu dorm on good morning America. They interviewed one student who received Tamaflu and one that did not. From the sounds of it the one that did not get it was a lot sicker. Thought I realize that doesn't constitute a reliable survey under any circumstances.