Thursday, April 30, 2009
Despite two cases of swine flu being reported in Kansas this week, University officials said KU students shouldn’t worry about their health.
The flu cases were located 115 miles outside of Lawrence in Dickinson County.
Ninty-one cases of swine flu have been reported nationally since the United States Government declared a public health emergency Sunday.
On Wednesday, the United Nations health agency raised the international pandemic alert to Phase 5, meaning the virus had sustained human-to-human transmission and a pandemic was imminent.
The Centers for Disease control also reported the death of a 22-month-old Mexican boy in Texas Wednesday.
The boy was brought to Houston for treatment, according to the Houston Department of Health and Human Services.
What is Swine Flu?
According to the CDC, swine flu is a respiratory disease in pigs caused by the type A influenza virus.
Swine flu usually spreads by direct exposure to pigs or contact with another person who has the virus.
The illness cannot be contracted by eating pork products. Though swine flu is contagious, the CDC does not know how easily the virus spreads among people.
Symptoms of swine flu closely resemble those of the common flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headaches and fatigue.
Where has swine flu been identified?
Ninty-one cases of swine flu have been reported in Arizona, California, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Ohio and Texas.
The World Health Organization confirmed Wednesday that at least 114 cases of swine flu had been reported worldwide.
“It’s clear that the virus is spreading, and we don’t see it slowing down at this point,” Keiji Fukuda, assistant director-general of WHO, said at a news conference Wednesday.
Should KU students be concerned?
Sue Lorenz, interim director of the Office of Study Abroad, said students traveling to Mexico during the summer did not need to reconsider their travel arrangements.
Sixteen students are scheduled to study abroad in Mexico beginning May 15.
“We don’t want our students to worry that we’ll put them in a bad situation,” Lorenz said.
She said anytime there was a possible health threat, the Office of Study Abroad kept students updated on a regular basis.
Emma Payne, Leavenworth junior, plans to study in Puebla, Mexico, for six weeks beginning May 15.
She said she had been keeping in touch with the Office of Study Abroad and visiting the CDC Web site regularly.
“It’s nerve-wracking,” Payne said.
Though swine flu was a concern, Payne said she was still excited.
Marlesa Roney, vice provost for student success, issued a statement to students Monday outlining the precautions to take should there be a pandemic in the U.S.
If an emergency arises, students should stay informed by visiting the University’s pandemic response site at www.pandemic.ku.edu.
What preventative measures should be taken?
Patricia Denning, senior staff physician at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said it was important for students to be cautious of flu-like symptoms, including those exhibited by people around them.
“Hopefully, people who are sick will stay home and not spread viruses,” she said.
Denning said college campuses were prone to spreading the flu viruses because of large class sizes.
More information about swine flu outbreaks can be found by visiting the CDC Web site, www.cdc.gov.
— — Edited by Andrew Wiebe
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Comments
Swine flu shouldn’t affect KU students
::OINK::: ::OINK::: GAAAAAAAAAAHHHH ::OINK OINK:: THEY'RE---COMING---::OINK:: ::OINK:: KNOCK KNOCK AAAARGGH! THEY'RE AT MY DOOOOOOOOOR! ::OINK:: HALP! SWINE FLU IS AFFECTING ME!!!
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