Swine flu is at WFU: Sick students are advised not to attend classes

More than 80 students at Wake Forest University are believed to have swine flu, university officials said yesterday.

Two cases of swine flu were confirmed Friday and university officials say that the rest of the students likely have swine flu as well, said Kevin Cox, the university's director of media relations.

Most of the cases have been relatively mild and the students are being treated at the university's health service, Cox said.

Students were told about the confirmed cases by e-mail on Friday night.

Since then, a steady stream of students has gone to the health service complaining of flu symptoms, Cox said.

The university has posted information about swine flu on its Web site, he said, and officials plan to continue to hold classes as usual.

"Students diagnosed with the flu are advised not to come to class in order to help reduce its spread," Cox said. "We have been communicating with faculty, staff and students directly through e-mail. In fact, the university began distributing information regarding the potential for H1N1 before we had the first confirmed cases."

So far, no cases of swine flu have been confirmed in the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools or in the county's private schools, said Dr. Tim Monroe, the director of the Forsyth County Health Department.

That does not mean there haven't been any cases, he said.

"They are not necessarily reported to us. It really doesn't matter whether you are seeing confirmed or not," he said.

The virus is already established in the county. Officials with the city-county school system have met with Monroe and other health-department officials to develop a plan to deal with the flu.

"It is most important for people not to be afraid of this but to pay attention," said Dr. Larry Givner, a professor of pediatrics at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the chief of pediatric medicine at Brenner.

The flu caused by the H1N1 virus is no worse than seasonal flu, he said. It just spreads more readily because fewer people are immune to it.

"Unfortunately, there is little, if any, immunity in the community," Givner said. "A much larger segment of the population is going to become infected."

Now that school has started and children are in classrooms together, it could begin to spread more rapidly, he said.

"School probably does have a good bit to do with it," he said. "It increases the possibility of passing it."

It's hard to say, though, how long it will be before it becomes an issue here, Givner said. It could be before the vaccine is available this fall.

If cases are found in schools, experts don't recommend that officials close schools or that extraordinary measures be taken to clean classrooms or buses, he said.

What they do recommend is that parents and students practice good hygiene.

For starters, Givner said, "(children) should be taught to disinfect or wash their hands as often as possible."

Children should also be taught to cover their mouths and noses whenever they cough or sneeze to minimize the possibility of spreading the virus. And, Givner said, children should understand that, if they think they have a fever or other symptoms, they should tell their teachers immediately.

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system will send the child home.

So, it's important for parents to make plans for child care, Givner said. "Keep them home for at least 24 hours after fever is gone."

It could take several days for the flu to run its course, he said, and once the H1N1 virus comes into a household, the chances are good that other members of the household will get sick. The incubation period is one to four days, he said.

For most people who get the flu, there's no need to go to the doctor, Givner said.

"It doesn't seem to be any more severe than the seasonal flu," he said. "The majority of people can and should stay home with the flu."

In general, people should see a doctor, he said, only if their temperature reaches 103 or higher, they start vomiting, they have a change in mental status or behavior, or they develop a rash.

People in certain categories should automatically check in with a doctor. They include pregnant women, children younger than 5, people who live with or work with a baby six months or younger, people 65 and older, and people with such chronic medical problems as heart or lung troubles.

The city-county school system has a page of its Web site devoted to H1N1. In makes several recommendations, including that children be told not to share food or drinks with other students.

Theo Helm, a spokesman for the school system, said he knows that having a child at home can be a problem for people who work. Some people have asked if there is a way to keep sick students at school. That's not possible, he said.

"We don't have a sick bay in each of our schools," Helm said. "You have to figure out a way to keep them at home."

■ Kim Underwood can be reached at 727-7389 or at kunderwood@wsjournal.com.

■ Journal reporter Richard Craver contributed to this story.