UW-Superior Health Officials Take Precautions for Swine Flu

By Brittany Berrens
Staff Writer
Posted 5/4/09

While there have been no confirmed or even suspected cases of the swine flu on the University of Wisconsin – Superior campus, administrators are prepared with a pandemic influenza emergency plan should the virus reach world pandemic status.

The current pandemic influenza emergency plan was developed in 2007 utilizes the various campus sectors. There are five plan levels according to the status of a virus according to the World Health Organization.

The plan starts with Level A which involves pre-planning and assessment. The highest stage, Level E, deals with a recovery phase.

At Level D, the university plans to suspend on-campus classes and activities. Call centers would be established. For those living on-campus, isolation areas would be set up for those required to be quarantined. Public meals in the dining hall would be cancelled and meals would be delivered as needed to staff and students on campus.

The campus operates according to the pandemic status that is decided upon by the WHO.  The swine flu is a respiratory illness most commonly found in pigs and is caused by a type A influenza virus. Normally the disease does not infect humans, but because the current strain of the flu is derived from human, avian and swine influenza, the virus is able to spread from human to human.

The current strain of flu is spread from person to person through coughing and sneezing.  A person can catch the flu virus by touching a surface containing the virus and then touching their nose, mouth or eyes. Eating pork products will not cause infection.

To prevent infection, students and staff are advised to wash hands frequently or use and alcohol-based hand sanitizer after coming into contact with surfaces that are repeatedly touched.

“Students don’t need to be overly concerned,” said Jodie Ostrander, an intern at the Health Services office at UWS. “It’s ok to carry on with their normal lives of going in public and using mass transportation. It’d be a good idea to keep washing hands and getting adequate amount of sleep.”

However, if someone is feeling unwell, they are advised to stay away from crowds. Cover your cough or sneeze with a disposable tissue and immediately throw out in the trash. The sick are advised to also wash their hands often.

It doesn’t seem that students are too concerned yet.

“I’m not worried at all unless the flu was killing lots of people in the area,” said Orion Jackson, a sophomore at UWS.
Symptoms of the swine flu include headache, fever, chills, sore throat, fatigue and cough. Vomiting and diarrhea may also occur.

While there is no vaccine available for the current strain of swine flu, anti-viral medications are available to some diagnosed with the swine flu.

A full copy of UWS’s pandemic flu emergency plan can be found in the emergency response section of the school’s website. Updates will continue to be posted on the website’s news feed.