H1N1 Vaccines to be Available on Campus

By Brooke Brennan
Rotunda Reporter "That is the magic question," said Patti Wagner, a registered nurse at the Student Health Center, when asked about the expected arrival date of swine flu vaccinations at Longwood. As of October 16, 2009, Wagner said that the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) had not produced enough of the H1N1 vaccines and that it would be at least another two weeks before the Student Health Center received the shots. As the predicted arrival date for the H1N1 vaccinations approaches, the university is doing its best to contain the spread of influenza on campus.

According to Wagner, the swine flu vaccination is being offered to everybody in the state for free. Wagner encourages all students, faculty, and staff on campus to take advantage of the free shot because of its prevention potency and its easy accessibility. Once Longwood receives the H1N1 vaccines, the Student Health Center will notify the campus and bring the shots to the students.

According to Wagner, faculty members from the Student Health Center plan to set up clinics inside of the dorm buildings during the evenings, at either 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. In addition to the on-campus dorms, Wagner said the clinics will be in each of the Longwood-affiliated apartment complexes. There will also be a clinic in the commuter lounge for commuter students and there will be one or two set up in the Student Union for faculty, staff, and anyone else.

Wagner said the Student Health Center does not usually see patients with signs of seasonal flu until mid-December or sometimes as late as the end of January. To have this many cases of the flu in the middle of October shows that "H1N1 is much more potent and much more contagious than the regular flu," said Wagner. In addition, those seen at the Student Health Center have recently gone from having the flu to developing respiratory complications along with the flu, such as bronchitis and tonsillitis.

On Fri., Oct. 16, Wagner reported that 20 students were diagnosed with flu-like symptoms and were sent home or self isolated. In a mass e-mail sent out on Mon., Oct. 26, Director of the Student Health Center Margo Potts stated that 17 students and 13 faculty or staff members were diagnosed with flu-like symptoms as of Wed., Oct. 21. According to Potts, 29 of the 30 infected patients went home and two were self-isolated on campus. Potts also said that out of all of them, two faculty members have been diagnosed with swine flu and one has been hospitalized.

Freshman Kelly Lechance is one of the students that have been sent home because of the seasonal flu. After first seeing the athletic trainer for her lacrosse team, Lechance went to the Student Health Center to confirm her symptoms. "My symptoms were high fever, cough, body aches, chills, and a runny nose," Lechance said.

Even though the swine flu is an increasing worry for most, it is still important to get the seasonal flu shot. Wagner said that she recommended getting both shots. In addition to the swine flu vaccination clinics, the Student Health Center will also restart the seasonal flu vaccine clinics. Wagner said that if Longwood receives more of the seasonal flu vaccines during the administration of H1N1 vaccines, then the clinics will be combined so that people can get both shots at once.

Wagner noted that if a person is allergic to eggs they should not get the H1N1 vaccine or any flu shot because each of them uses an egg-based serum. Wagner said that the only side effect of the flu vaccinations is a sore arm, which can be treated with ibuprofen.

Wagner also said if a person has any other side effects within 24 hours of getting the flu shot, whether H1N1 or seasonal, it is most likely because that person was already been exposed to the flu, not because of the vaccine. This is because the flu vaccinations administered at Longwood are all inactivated vaccines, or shots with organisms that have already been killed.

Sophomore Katie Carbiener got the seasonal flu vaccination early this year. "I got the flu last year and I didn't want to get it again," said Carbiener. Carbiener stated she plans to get the H1N1 vaccine once it arrives.

Students who feel that they may have a fever should contact the Student Health Center immediately. If a fever is proven, the student will most likely be sent home or self-isolated. Other symptoms include upper respiratory congestion and coughing, nausea and diarrhea.

Wagner said that "coughing, sneezing, not washing your hands, and direct contact with cell phones," are the most common ways of getting the flu. In order to maintain a relatively low number of infected people on campus, the Student Health Center encourages students, faculty and staff to practice and repeat these actions every day.