Spokane7
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September 4, 2009 in City
2,000-plus sick at WSU
University hands out kits to treat swine flu
Marsha Turnbull, registered nurse and a health education professional at WSU, talks with students at Gannon Residence Hall on the Pullman campus Thursday about a recent outbreak of flu.
(Full-size photo)(All photos)
More than 2,000 Washington State University students have been sickened by swine flu during the first two weeks of classes, school health officials said.
The outbreak of H1N1 influenza prompted concerns about Saturday’s football matchup against Stanford at Martin Stadium.
While school and health officials stressed that attending the game poses little risk of infection, they urged people sick with the flu to stay home and encouraged fans to wash their hands, to avoid sharing food and drink, and to cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing. Pregnant women and people with underlying health risks such as diabetics, asthma or heart or lung disease should consider skipping the game, health officials said.
Far more than 2,000 students could be ill, said Dr. Dennis Garcia, although the number of students seeking care and calling nurses at WSU’s Health and Wellness Services fell for the first time Thursday since classes started.
Dozens, perhaps even hundreds, more students have called or gone into Pullman Regional Hospital seeking treatment.
There have been no deaths and no students have developed severe symptoms requiring hospitalization.
Rather, Garcia said, most students suffer through three to five days of discomfort. The school is handing out free flu kits including a thermometer, painkillers, throat lozenges, sport drinks, hand sanitizer and tissues.
While WSU wrestles with H1N1, Spokane-area schools have avoided outbreaks so far.
“There’s nothing that unusual about our absent students or what parents are telling us,” said Kathe Reed-McKay, director of health services for Spokane Public Schools. “But that could change in an instant.”
There has been just one student case of H1N1 at Gonzaga University in the first week of classes, and a few at Eastern Washington University, though classes there haven’t yet started.
Public health officials long ago gave up trying to ascertain an accurate number of people sickened with H1N1 influenza. Only the most serious cases – including hospitalizations and deaths – are confirmed by the Washington State Public Health Laboratory.
The vast majority of people with flu symptoms – and likely infected with H1N1 – are encouraged to take fever-reducing medicine such as over-the-counter acetaminophen (such as Tylenol), and rest. Only if symptoms worsen or people have underlying health problems should they seek medical attention. Otherwise, they should stay home.
“That’s what has to happen to control the spread,” said Julie Graham, spokeswoman for the Spokane Regional Health District.
Garcia said he believes many students have gotten the message, and rather than seeking medical help they are resting and being cared for by roommates.
Garcia said the symptoms of H1N1 are a giveaway. Sick WSU students have reported sore and scratchy throats, chest pain reminiscent of heartburn, and headaches that come and go. Many students also have chills, body aches and nausea and run a fever upward of 103 degrees for two days.
Preparations for an H1N1 flu outbreak in Spokane continue to jell. The health district has asked clinics, hospitals and other providers to help provide H1N1 vaccines when they arrive in mid-October.
If providers’ response is not large enough to quickly vaccinate the most vulnerable people – including pregnant women, children and health care workers – the district will consider revamping its normal distribution methods.
Hospitals have been putting plans in place in case the H1N1 infections grow in number and severity.
Nurses, doctors and employee health coordinators have been preparing areas of Deaconess Medical Center for additional triage and screening, hospital spokeswoman Christine Varela said.
Employees have been asked to get vaccinated, not only for their own health but also for the safety of already-sick hospital patients who could be endangered if they get H1N1.
“We take this seriously and are ready to be there for people,” Varela said.
Parishes giving $1.5 million toward settling sex cases 
Bob_Knows on September 04 at 6:55 a.m.
I’m sure that SHU officials led by WHU President Elson (Hate) Floyd will find a way to twist this into another anti-men hate campaign. Blame the nearest available man, or Joe Average College Student.
Maybe Floyd will start another “Women Only Bus” route for women to avoid men who might be contagious.
wazzumorgan on September 04 at 9:49 a.m.
We have to be careful here. As of Tuesday there were only 11 confirmed cases of swine flu, which you MUST TEST for. You can’t just throw out a random number of 2,000 students confirmed with swine flu. I don’t think Student Health tested 2,000 people in the last two days for this.
The majority of the students probably have the typical flu that we get every year.
How did this make the front page with such incorrect facts? Good Lord!
philipgregory on September 04 at 10:02 a.m.
Poor reporting - as usual…
2,000 cases… of HOW MANY?
You ASSUME we all know how many students are at WSU?
Or you don’t realize it DOES make a difference.
2,000 out of 100,000 = no big deal
2,000 out of 10, 000 = BIG DEAL!
silqworm on September 04 at 10:19 a.m.
Nobody died, nobody was even hospitalized, by the time the vaccine is ready, the epidemic will already be over. There is much more to fear from the vaccine than the swine flu. All the public health officials who are still yakking about the vaccine should be fired at best, and prosecuted for war crimes under the Nuremburg standards if more people die of the vaccine than the flu, like the last time the government ran this scam in 1975.
greensquare on September 04 at 10:27 a.m.
Daily News reports 2 confirmed cases in the entire county.
Spokesman reports 2000 at WSU.
Hmm.
addyh on September 04 at 10:50 a.m.
I’d like to point out that WSU is the entity saying it’s got 2,000 cases, as the story notes. Further, also as the story says, no one will ever know if that’s true because only the most sick people are being tested for H1N1.
SeattleCoug on September 04 at 11:44 a.m.
I think that we are confusing the brown bottle flu with the swine flu. Honestly, if I was student today in Pullman I would use the swine flu as a regular excuse to party. Go Cougs!!!
avboden on September 04 at 8:51 p.m.
I’m a student here at WSU. Frankly, we could care less. It’s just the flu
I will say, the only big difference I’ve seen is Beer Pong. Instead of filling the cups with beer and drinking from those (people share cups this way) they have been filled with water and people drink their own beer. Not everyone is doing this though.
Cougmom10 on September 04 at 9:18 p.m.
I find it interesting that WSU full-time students pay a required $130 for health services each semester, yet the Health and Wellness Center on campus is only open until 5:30 PM on weekdays and is only open from 10 AM- 2:30 on Saturdays for urgent care. When does a student who paid their $130 get help when they attend classes all day? An hour between classes is not enough time when there is a long wait for assistance. Of course, officials advise students not to attend class when they are ill, but what professors accomodate that? No wonder the article states students are going to Pullman Regional Hospital, despite having paid the required health fund to an increasingly non-student centered University. WSU needs to re-examine the hours health services are available to students.
Rifleman_Dodd on September 04 at 9:49 p.m.
Perhaps their mascot should be changed to reflect this epidemic.
Callitwatuwant on September 05 at 10:19 p.m.
I dont really care what they call a virus, the important thing is that everyone take every precaution possible and necessary to avoid any illness, wether it be a common cold to swine flu, or any other disease or illness. Especially in college and institutions. It is the smart reaction to assume the worse and treat any illness as dangerous and use standard healthcare precautions at all times. Swine Flu has not killed as many people as other strains have, however, we do not know as much about swine flu as other strains, therefore I am confident that Dr. Garcia is just trying to keep his students as healthy as possible since that would be his responsibilty as a student health physician. Therefore, wash your hands!!!
wazzumorgan on September 09 at 3:07 p.m.
Addy, I’m sorry but those facts are ridiculous and I couldn’t find anything to back it up on the WSU website. Today President Floyd sent all alumni an email explaining the discrepancy in reporting. He didn’t point the finger at the Spokesman, but it was pretty obvious who he was talking about. As a Communications Major at WSU who has studied journalism, I’m really embarrassed by my hometown newspaper
addyh on September 09 at 5:42 p.m.
Wazzumorgan, the information came from WSU’s Health & Wellness Services “Flu Info” site - the health service set up a blog (H1N1 @ WSU) with daily updates. You can find it at http://hws.wsu.edu/blog/default.asp?Username=healthycoug&EntryID=134
Partial quote: “We estimate that we have been in contact with about 2,000 students with influenza-like illness in the last 10 days.” That was as of last Thursday.