University of Maryland Officials, Students React to Possible Threat of H1N1 Virus

By Vicki Kriz
Maryland Newsline
Friday, May 8, 2009

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - University of Maryland student Michael Sweatt is not letting the media’s constant updates of the H1N1 virus – or swine flu -  interfere with his end-of-college anticipation.

“I think the media has over-hyped the situation,” said Sweatt, 21, who graduates this month. “The flu seems to be like any other flu out there.”

Although a probable case of the H1N1 virus was found only two miles away from campus at University Park Elementary School, prompting that school to close Monday and Tuesday, general concern at the university is dropping, said university spokesman Lee Tune. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced this week that the virus appears to be milder than originally suspected.

As of today, 21 confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus have been found in Maryland, according to a statement released by the state’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Dr. Sacared Bodison, director of the University Health Center, said although the center is seeing more student patients who are worried they might have the H1N1 virus, all tests have been negative. The number of student patients coming in with flu-like symptoms, however, has remained normal for this time of year, she said.

The University Health Center is relying on a public awareness campaign to educate the university population on how to prevent infection, including more emphasis on hand-washing and proper coughing techniques, Bodison said. “We’re trying to get the word out to everyone, which is something we have been doing for a while for the typical flu,” she said.

A May 5 e-mail sent to students from the university’s Department of Residence Life stated it is distributing disinfecting wipes to residence halls for students to use in “high-touch” areas.

Despite the university’s efforts to encourage better hygiene, some students, like Brian Zhang, 19, are not convinced of the campus' readiness. "I think the university, like the rest of the world, is extremely unprepared for a pandemic,” Zhang said.

But university officials say there is an extensive emergency plan in place in case a pandemic flu becomes a real threat on campus. The plan was created in 2006 in response to the threat of the avian flu and is broken down into four action levels and a recovery level. Currently the university is operating at level one. But, Tune said, diminishing concerns about the virus’ severity may persuade university officials to de-escalate to normal operations.

At level one, there is more communication with the campus population to keep everyone informed of the university’s plans. To escalate to level two, the university would need at least one of the following factors: high rate of infection and deaths and increasing spread of the virus,  local public health authorities canceling public activities, or local school and transportation closures. The World Health Organization would also need to declare a Phase 6 pandemic, meaning the spread of the virus has been confirmed in more than two regions of the world. The WHO has officially declared Phase 5, confirming the virus’ spread in two global regions.

At level two on campus, classes and events expecting large crowds would be cancelled while the university prepared for a shut-down.

Depending on national and local conditions, the university could move into levels three and four – first shutting down the majority of the university and closing on-campus housing, then completely shutting down the university to all traffic and services except for emergency health services and emergency temporary housing for a few students. Once the threat of pandemic flu diminished, the campus would reopen in the recovery phase of its emergency plan.

Tune said the university’s pandemic flu emergency plan was publicized when it was published in 2006, but it has not been given much press since. Because the WHO did not declare a Phase 6 alert, the university did not think it was necessary to again publicize the plan, he said.

University of Maryland student Paul Plymouth, 21, is more worried about the number of students he observes abstaining from daily hygiene than the possibility of the H1N1 virus reaching campus. 

“Students will not wash their hands after they use the bathroom and will go on to activities where they will interact with others and spread germs,” Plymouth said.

Swine flu is a type of influenza commonly found in pigs. However, according to the CDC, when strains of swine flu mix with strains of avian and human flu, the virus has a greater potential of having the capability to spread to humans. The H1N1 virus is such a case.

Infection by this virus has been associated with recent travel to Mexico. However, Dr. Daniel Perez, associate professor at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and an expert on avian and swine flu, said more information on this strain is needed to confirm its origin.

“We need to be careful not to draw major conclusions right now,” Perez said.

He will be working with the CDC and National Institutes of Health to research the virus.

As of  Thursday, the CDC had confirmed 896 cases of the virus in 41 states. Worldwide, 2,384 cases of the virus have been confirmed in 24 countries, according to today’s update by the WHO.

Until the virus loses strength and its ability to transmit from person-to-person and while a susceptible population exists, the H1N1 virus will continue to spread, since it appears people have no immunity to it, Perez said.

Recent announcements made by the CDC may have relieved some fears. Schools in Maryland that closed due to probable cases of the virus reopened this week after the CDC said school closures were not necessary unless a large portion of a school's population is infected.

In a Tuesday press conference held by the CDC, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the virus has been found to be less severe than previously thought. But Sebelius made it clear that the country still needs to be vigilent.

“We don’t know what will happen over the course of the summer, and we certainly don’t know what will happen when we get back into flu season,” Sebelius said. “So our aggressive efforts to learn more, to study more, certainly to ramp up vaccine productions are going to be underway.”

Copyright © 2009 University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism

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