UPDATE: Health Department working to prevent spread of swine flu at Notre DameBy Troy Kehoe (tkehoe@wsbt.com)
Dr. Rebecca Moskwinski, medical director of University Health Services for Notre Dame, (left) and Kelly Jolliff, a St. Joseph County Health Department epidemiologist, talk Tuesday about a Notre Dame student with a confirmed case of swine flu. Tribune Photo/GREG SWIERCZ NOTRE DAME — State and local health officials are working to contain a confirmed case of swine flu on the campus of Notre Dame. A student who became sick last week tested positive for the flu strain Tuesday. The question now: has the virus spread? It is the only confirmed case in Indiana so far. University administrators say the student is nearly fully recovered, and is now resting in “voluntary isolation” at home on campus after coming to the health center with flu-like symptoms 6 days ago. As a part of the center’s standard protocol, a culture sample was taken from the student and sent to the Indiana State Department of Health in Indianapolis for analysis. Notre Dame was informed Friday that the sample was atypical for Influenza A. The sample was sent for further testing at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control over the weekend. Confirmation that the strain is North American Human Influenza A (H1N1), commonly known as swine flu, came Tuesday morning. Notre Dame Health Services Medical Director Dr. Rebecca Moswinski says the student was treated with typical over-the-counter flu medications, and did not take anti-viral medications like Tamiflu or Relenza, because the symptoms never warranted it. "The student had typical flu-like symptoms--cough, fever, stuffy nose-- which has been seen across the country with the swine flu," she said. "As of today, the student is now nearly fully recovered." Moswinski and Notre Dame Vice President for News and Information Dennis Brown declined to identify the student's gender, age or home state, and wouldn't comment on whether the student lived on campus or off, citing an ongoing investigation into who the student might have come into contact with while carrying the virus. According to Moswinski, the student showed symptoms of the flu for a full day before going in to seek treatment. This strain of the flu has been shown to be contagious for up to 36 hours before the onset of symptoms, and up to 7 days after, Moswinski said. That news had some students on campus a bit uneasy Tuesday afternoon. "It was kind of hard to believe that they'd actually found a case here. It seems like they're taking the proper precautions, but I still feel like there's not too much I can do about it," said Notre Dame junior Brittney Rose, an accounting major from Texas. "It's kind of scary that it's on campus and so close to us," agreed Notre Dame junior Rose Bajorek, a marketing major from Maryland. "I knew some of our friends were being sent home from studying abroad in Mexico. But, I didn't realize it was here, too." University administrators said they still aren't sure how the strain got here, particularly because they said the student had remained on campus for several weeks. "We don't know that the person traveled to an area that had swine flu. We don't believe the student had had any recent travels to Mexico, and has been on campus during the duration of the influenza. So, we are continuing to investigate," Dr. Moswinski said. Some students have their own theories. The most popular Tuesday afternoon seemed to be that another student brought the virus back from Mexico after a spring break trip. “My guess would be a lot of people went there for spring break, so they just could have had a carrier,” Notre Dame student Erin Dobberton told Chicago's WBBM-TV. “I know a lot of students here go abroad, so even if that one student didn’t go abroad, I’m sure somebody they came in contact with probably did," agreed Notre Dame student Mike Magill. Because the virus can take days to show up, virologists at Notre Dame told WBBM it is possible it's been passed around for weeks, and this is now the first case to be reported at the University. Swine flu can be contagious for up to 36 hours before and up to 7 days after the onset of symptoms, Moswinski said. And even though the student is now in voluntary isolation, that wasn't the case both before the symptoms began and after they began to subside. "The student did go about their regular activities, and the student did have symptoms for one day prior to coming to the University Health Services. However, we haven't seen any other influenzas since that time," Moswinski said. That gave local health officials reason to stay optimistic. "The identification of a confirmed case is no cause for panic. We investigate each case the same. So, we are investigating the case and identifying contacts and following up as necessary," said St. Joseph County Health Department Epidemiologist Kelly Jolliff. The first step in that follow up was an email sent to students and staff late Tuesday afternoon, informing them of the student's diagnosis. It explained that classes and final exam schedules will continue as normal. "There is no cause for panic. We're not closing down the University. We're not cancelling any public events," said Moswinski. Still, the University is asking anyone with flu-like symptoms not to wait to see a doctor. Those without symptoms are also being asked to take additional precautions. "We are asking you to cover your cough, into a sleeve or into a tissue. Frequent washing of hands. And, if you're sick, stay home," Jolliff said. "We only received confirmation this morning, and our investigation and response is just beginning. This is a constantly evolving situation, both locally, and throughout the world." South Bend Tribune Staff Reporter Erin Blasko contributed to this report. Most PopularMore Good StuffAdvertisement
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