University of St. Thomas H1N1 (or Influenza-Like-Illness) Report for Oct. 8, 2009

By Madonna McDermott, director, Student Health Service & Wellness Center

The University of St. Thomas Student Health Service reports increasing numbers of students with H1N1this past week. Most cases continue to be relatively mild; however, there have been some students experiencing more severe symptoms, especially in those with underlying chronic illnesses such as asthma and cancer.

There now have been a total of 137 cases of flu at St. Thomas since the start of the semester, with 49 new cases since last week; the majority of these students have since recovered and have returned to their classes.

In an effort to assist students more effectively, please refer to the UST H1N1 Student Triage Flow Chart. Due to the increased volumes of students accessing care in the Student Health Service, we are unable to provide any written excuses for classes. The Student H1N1 Report of Absence will notify professors of student absence from classes.

The Minnesota Department of Health announced that the initial doses of H1N1 vaccine began arriving in Minnesota this week. Minnesota’s current vaccine allocation of 43,100 doses of nasal spray vaccine will be distributed to hospitals and local health departments with a focus on health-care workers who have direct patient contact. These individuals will receive the vaccine first because they are at risk of being exposed to the virus and could expose others to the virus who are more vulnerable and other health-care employees. 

St. Thomas expects to receive a supply of the H1N1 vaccine, but the arrival date is not yet known. When the vaccine arrives, the university’s Student Health Service will hold on-campus flu-shot clinics. The dates for the clinics will be announced in Bulletin Today and on the university’s Pandemic Web site.