After One Week Of Classes, More Than 100 Possible Flu Cases At Local College
Monday, Sep 7, 2009 | Updated 4:45 PM EST
AP
Health workers are hustling to treat cases of flu at the University of Maryland.
Mike, a 20-year-old junior, has a fever. He’s in the lobby of the Student Health Center at the University of Maryland in College Park, with a blue surgical mask covering his nose and mouth. Mike hasn't shaved in a few days, and his stubble rubs up against the mask as he talks.
"Yeah it feels a bit goofy," he says. "I think it's doing more damage than good because it's like, you got a fever and now you're wearing something that's making your face, like, overheat."
Mike's not alone. Several other patients here are wearing masks, and doctors are scrambling to treat them all.
In just the last week, the Health Center treated more than 100 students with flu-like symptoms. Nearly 40 came in this weekend. So far, no other D.C. area college has more than five possible flu cases.
Dr. Gail Lee, the Student Health Center's clinical director, said she's seeing more and more students who might have the flu.
"I think each day there's about 15 cases," Lee says.
But it’s unclear if the students Lee is seeing contracted the H1N1 swine flu virus, or if they just have a seasonal flu, or if they even have the flu at all. The school is not sending possible flu cases to the lab for testing. Instead, campus doctors are following federal guidelines and telling students who feel sick to stay out of classes. They're also giving surgical masks to anyone with a fever of more than 100 degrees. David Schultz reports...
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Posted Monday, Sep 7, 2009 - 4:36 PM EST
