By Melissa Traynor
In an email sent out to CCSU faculty and staff on Monday, Associate VP of Marketing and Communications Mark McLaughlin announced CCSU’s first confirmed case of the H1N1 virus or swine flu.
The ill student, who was not named in the email, was sent home at the first signs of flu-like illness and tested positive for H1N1. McLaughlin wrote that the student has recuperated fully.
The letter also announces that instead of original plans to use a classroom in Welte Auditorium for temporary housing, CCSU has designated a stand-alone trailer as a space for self-isolation, which is located near the CCSU Police Department. Welte is out of consideration because it would upset students and faculty who normally use the building.
“People were going to feel very uncomfortable and very scared,” Health Service Director Dr. Christopher Diamond said. While rooming in Welte would also have allowed students to self-isolate, there would be an increased perceived risk of more healthy students becoming infected with H1N1.
Trailer space is meant for ill international students or those whose hometowns are not reachable within three hours. Ill students who cannot go home and wish to stay away from others are encouraged to contact ResLife Director Jean Alicandro to make arrangements.
McLaughlin’s letter points out that there is an 80 percent chance that those experiencing flu-like illnesses have the swine flu. Though CCSU is not formally testing for the H1N1 strain, health officials are encouraging students who experience a fever and other flu-like illnesses to stay home until at least one day after they recover from the fever. So far the average recovery period is five to seven days for most cases of swine flu.
He also noted that the university is hosting clinics to administer seasonal flu vaccine; the first took place yesterday, Oct. 27 and the second will be Nov. 2 at the Student Center in Bellin Gallery A from 3 to 6 p.m.
While original predictions for swine flu vaccine distribution were set for the month of October, McLaughlin wrote that the 300 doses of vaccine Diamond requested are not guaranteed and the university does not know when they will arrive. Currently, the first wave of vaccine is meant for students under 18 years old with high health risks such as asthma and immunosuppressive disorders.
The letter reminded faculty to wash their hands regularly, be well-rested and keep work areas clean.
