Author: Sarah Mofford
There has been a rise in flu-like illnesses on Oxy’s campus this past week. A total of 41 suspected cases has been reported to Emmons since last Monday.
Although Oxy lacks the testing equipment to confirm if the cases are swine flu, Emmons has been instructed by the Center for Disease Control to treat them as if they are H1N1. According to a Sept. 29 digest post by Occidental Associate Director of Communications Rhea Borjes, most cases of H1N1 at Oxy and nationwide have been mild. However, Oxy has quarantined infected students to prevent the spread of the illness.
The H1N1 vaccine will not be available on campus until mid-October. Emmons anticipates that the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will send Oxy only a fraction of the 5,000 doses requested.
According to Borjes’ digest post, Emmons is still administering regular flu shots and also offers Tamiflu, a prescription flu treatment and prevention medication, to students who have already fallen ill.
Because its top priority is identifying and triaging ill students, Emmons lacks spare resources to confirm the wellness of recovering flu patients. They have worked to contain the spread of the virus, creating a separate entrance at the health center for sick students and distributing hand sanitizer across campus. Until the flu outbreak on campus abates, Emmons will be unable to administer routine physicals and checkups.
The inability to distinguish H1N1 from the regular flu virus has been a cause for alarm among students, many of whom are unable to gauge the severity of the disease.
“It’s scary because it seems like everyone is getting sick,” said Katy Dhanens (sophomore). “I don’t know how concerned I should be.”
In the Stewart-Cleland Residence Hall, where many students have been quarantined to prevent the spread of their sickness, residents are resigned to the possibility of illness. “It’s inevitable, I’m going to get the swine flu,” said Dylan Bos-Dowlen (first-year).
Mackenzie Brown (junior) has been quarantined for ten days with the swine flu. “It’s hard for me to accept that I simply cannot work or go to class or catch up on reading right now,” she said, elaborating on the academic stress her illness has caused.
The H1N1 virus is a respiratory disease that humans spread by exchanging fluids. Colloquially referred to as “swine flu” because the virus originated in pigs, the major symptoms for humans who contract the virus include fever, chills, sore throat, chest pains, vomiting, congestion, weakness and body aches.To prevent swine flu, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health encourages students to wash their hands frequently and avoid contact with sick people. The latter is a problem for many Oxy students.
“It’s just hard because Oxy’s so small. It seems like everyone I interact with on a day-to-day basis is sick,” said Carly Phillips (sophomore).
Students who do not want to catch swine flu should practice healthy living habits, such as sleeping enough, exercising and eating well. If symptoms begin to show, students should drink plenty of fluids and get lots of rest.
So far, Emmons has been sending many sick students home. Students without families nearby are mostly quarantined in their dorm rooms.
These students can have their meals delivered to them by RAs, and their roommates can stay in the over 20 single rooms available for them around campus.
The World Health Organization has raised H1N1 to pandemic status in reaction to the virus’ presence in many countries around the world. In reaction to this news, Emmons has tried to prevent panic by providing consistent information to the student body, such as in the Sept. 29 digest post.
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