After another rise in swine flu levels on the University of Wisconsin campus and President Barack Obama’s declaration of a national state of emergency due to an unexpected shortage of swine flu vaccine, University Health Services is re-examining its vaccination strategy.
With none of the expected shipment of H1N1 vaccines coming in last week, UHS is uncertain whether it will be able to hold the mass student vaccination clinic originally planned for Nov. 3.
Two thousand additional doses would be required to go through with the vaccination clinic, but, because of the national shortage, the timetable is uncertain, according to UHS Director Sarah Van Orman.
UHS requested 20,000 total doses, but at this point has only received 2,500 doses.
As of a week ago, Van Orman was sure the Nov. 3 student vaccination clinic would occur, along with five others by mid-December, but with the lack of shipments, these plans have become more tentative.
This past week saw the reporting of 73 cases of influenza-like illnesses, a 49 percent increase from 49 the previous week.
“Relative to a normal year, we are still seeing a lot (of flu cases); relative to what we saw a month ago, we are seeing less,” UHS epidemiologist Craig Roberts said.
Based on these reports, Van Orman said UHS continues to see a level of activity that shows an outbreak is occurring; however, the last three weeks have been relatively stable and a major decrease from the rates during early September.
“(Swine flu) rates have been going up nationally. In Madison, we have been dropping the past few weeks,” Roberts said. “It is very hit-[or]-miss; that’s the way influenza works. You can have high rates in one community and no influenza in an adjacent community.”
The majority of students who have been diagnosed with swine flu are healthy enough that they do not need treatment. According to Van Orman, those students can just stay home and recover on their own as the effects are relatively mild.
However, some high-risk students with pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, pregnancy or other conditions that weaken the immune system are instructed to contact UHS to receive the limited number of vaccines currently still available.
Additionally, priority students can be vaccinated if they are health care students who are either severely affected by the virus, at high risk of getting the disease or at high risk of infecting others.
“At this point, we still believe that [the flu cases on campus are] all H1N1,” Van Orman said. “We are doing a handful of cultures each week for that reason to make sure that we are not seeing another influenza appearing.”
Van Orman added students should not panic, but must still recognize swine flu is present on campus and must be attended to, making sure to continue following all of the precautions.
She also stressed if students are at high risk and think they need a vaccine, they should call UHS right away to explore their options.
