The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - 9A
The Michigan Daily - mithigandailycom Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - 9A
SWINE FLU
From Page 1A
who are sick to either go home to
recuperate or, if that's not possible
- and there are a lot of students
where it wouldn't be feasible - to
stay in their apartments and ride
the flu out in isolation" Logan said.
He added that the residence
halls will be at full capacity and
that there is no space available
to isolate and quarantine stu-
dents to prevent the spread of
the virus.
Housing will provide meals to
students isolated in their residence
halls, so as not to infect healthy stu-
dents eating in the dining halls. Stu-
dents will be able to order meals on
the Housing website through Resi-
dential Dining Services, and food
will either be delivered to an ill stu-
dent's room or the student can have
a roommate or friend pick up food
from the closest dining hall.
Logan wrote in an e-mail that
the plan is tentative and can be
adjusted based on the amount of
students in isolation.
"If the scale of illness and in-
room meal requests gets so large
that this standard program is not
sufficient, University Housing will
then implement a plan for deliver-
ing meals to the residence halls,"
Logan wrote.
The University is also working
on developing an online communi-
cation database where ill students
can inform the University if they
are going home to recuperate or if
they will self-isolate themselves in
their rooms.
Earlier plans called for resident
advisers in residence halls to check
on sick students and communicate
the student's status to the Univer-
sity. But emergency planners later
decided that this system would not
be effective.
"RAs are students and they have
academic responsibilities as well,
and if they had to suspend this that
could be a problem," Logan said,
adding that resident advisers also
would have a greater chance of
becoming exposed to the virus.
TEST RUN
In July, the University's pre-
paredness plans were tested when
15 high school students attending
a summer program on campus
came down with the HiN1 virus.
The students were staying at Alice
Lloyd Residence Hall, but were
moved to an unoccupied residence
hall for a seven-day isolation peri-
od. The students recuperated after
about one week.
Winfield said they worked "very
aggressively" to contain the virus
and efforts were successful, but
more importantly, the outbreak
allowed for emergency coordina-
tors to evaluate their readiness
before this fall.
"We all did a gap analysis identi-
fying things where we recognized
we hadn't done sufficient planning
or the planning that we had done
wasn't quite perfect" 'Winfield
said. "We have been identifying
those gaps and have been address-
ing them all summer."
INFORMATION CAMPAIGN
As part of the University's over-
all strategy to fight the virus, the
Office of the Provost sent e-mails
to students, families, faculty and
staff that include information of
symptoms to look for, like a fever
over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit,
sore throat, coughing, sneezing,
vomiting, headaches, muscle aches
and diarrhea.
The University is following
guidelines from the CDC, part of
which includes asking students
who become ill to self-isolate
themselves in their rooms for the
duration of the illness plus 24
hours after their fever ends.
Inan effort to prevent the spread
of germs, several committees have
designed personal hygiene posters
and mirror cling-ons that will be
placed in campus bathrooms. The
messages will remind students to
wash their hands regularly with
hot water and soap and cover their
cough.
Andrew Burchfield, manager of
emergency planning for the Uni-
versity, said these simple acts are
the most effective way to reduce
the spread of germs.
"(We're) just trying to keep that
constant reminder within people's
minds that washing their hands on
a regular basis is critical and cov-
ering your cough is also extremely
important," Burchfield said.
The HINi virus is similar to the
seasonal flu in that it can be trans-
mitted through surfaces or contact
with other ill people.
Robert Ernst, medical director
of University Health Service, said
washing your hands is the best way
to protect yourself from getting
influenza.
"Every time you shake hands
with somebody or touch surfaces
that are shared you run the risk
of picking up the virus on your
hands," Ernst said, "and if you
wash your hands in preferably hot
soapy water or alternatively with
some sort of hand sanitizer, you
reduce the riskthat your hands will
be contaminated."
Ernst added that coughing and
sneezing directly contaminates
other people and surfaces, so
coughing into a shoulder or sneez-
ing into a tissue can greatly cut
down the spread of germs.
UNIVERSITY HEALTH
SERVICE'S STRATEGY
UHS is asking students who
become sick with HINi to not
visit the health service unless they
are pregnant or have an underly-
ing condition as designated by the
CDC. These conditions include stu-
dents with diabetes, severe asthma,
HIV and immune deficiencies.
UHS will not prescribe Tamiflu,
the antiviral drug used to treat and
prevent H1N1, to all ill students. In
order to conserve supplies, only
those who fall under high-risk
categories like pregnant women,
people with underlying health con-
ditions and those at high risk who
are exposed to people who already
have HIN will receive medication.
"If your roommate gets H1N1
and you have asthma, we'll treat
you preventively," Winfield said.
"But in general, we're not going
to be giving Tamiflu to the gen-
eral public in order to conserve for
when we really need it."
According to Cindra James,
emergency preparedness coordina-
tor at the Washtenaw County Pub-
lic Health Department, the Health
Department has about 3,500 doses
of Tamiflu for Washtenaw County
residents, not including University
students. James said she expects
that total will be an adequate
amount to support the county.
"We have a stock pile here to
work with in the fall," James said.
"Should that dwindle and should
can always reapply and ask for
more."
Winfield said the University has
a short supply of Tamiflu that will
last if only those labeled as high-
risk by the CDC are prescribed
medication.
"We've been told we can get
more from the federal government
as we need it," he said. "So we're
pretty sure we will be OK, but we
aren't sure how much we're going
to able to get."
Ernst said the majority of
patients visiting UHS with HINT
have hadsymptoms similarto those
of people who get sick every year
from seasonal flu, including vomit-
ing and high fevers.
"The reassuring thing is that
most people who get H1N1 are not
getting seriously ill," he said. "The
actual manifestation of H1N1 infec-
tion in young people tends to be
not that different than the usual
seasonal influenza, meaning people
don't feel well for several days, but
they aren't being hospitalized at a
high percentage."
Treatments for H1Ni are also
comparable to those for the sea-
sonal flu as they include staying
well hydrated and taking medi-
cations with ibuprofen to reduce
fevers. Students can recuperate
without consulting a physician,
but students who fall into the
high-risk categories should visit
UHS, Ernst said.
"Who should go see the doctor
are those people who have under-
lying serious health conditions
- so diabetics, or people who are
on medications that may suppress
their immune system or people
who have underlying conditions
that are beingtreated for on a regu-
lar basis," he said.
Students who visit UHS seeking
treatment for H1N1 will be asked to
wear a mask to protect the health
care providers and healthy patients
"That's going to be one of our
concerns - protecting our staff and
protecting the other people in the
waiting rooms from people who
may be sick," Ernst said. "Wearing
a mask while they're in the building
is one way we can do that"'
In case the number of influenza
cases needing treatment becomes
increasingly high, UHS officials
are creating contingency plans
for limiting some of the more
routine types of care. Ernst cited
gynecological exams as one prac-
tice that could be put on hold if
UHS becomes overwhelmed with
influenza cases.
"We're creating continuity
plans to try and make sure we have
adequate staffing to handle what
we think might be a high level of
influenza cases," Ernst said. "If that
occurs, we may have to put offsome
types of elective visits.'
But Ernst said that will only hap-
pen if the volume of cases becomes
"critical.'
The likelihood that the situation
gets to that point is up in the air,
though, as there's no way to predict
how large the outbreak will be on
campus, Burchfield said.
"We really don't know how bad
it's going to be - if it's going to be
bad, if it's going to be really bad,
it's somewhat of a guessing game
in waiting to see what the results
are," Burchfield said. "But I think
overall, the University of Michigan
has done a tremendous job in pre-
paring and thinking about as many
issues and making sure that we're
keeping our students, faculty and
staff as safe as possible.'
TOMORROW'S
INSTALLMENT
What professors are being
told to do with sick students,
and just how likely is an
epidemic on campus.
AtConvocation, a
focus on learning
By ERIC CHIU participants in their undergraduate
Daily StaffReporter education, both inside and outside
the classroom.
For the third straight year, the University President Mary Sue
University received a record num- Coleman told students to expect
ber of undergraduate admissions new experiences during their
applications, meaning that once times here and encouraged them to
again, getting into this year's fresh- become a part of the academic com-
man class was no easy feat. That munity.
sentiment was more than clear "We are constantly in pursuit
during the New Student Convo- of new knowledge here, and you
cation at Crisler Arena Thursday are expected to contribute to that
night. quest," Coleman said. "One of the
Throughout the two-hour event, reasons you are part of this com-
University faculty and administra- munity is because of what you can
tors routinely praised the roughly offer your peers, and the diversity of
6,500 students and family members cultures, beliefs and interests of our
in attendance, touting their aca- studentbody is limitless.'
demic strengths and offering advice In her speech, University Pro-
for the years to come. vost Teresa Sullivan recounted the
"I can say, without hesitation, advice that her former students had
that this year's class is more actively for the incoming class.
engaged and academically well- "Seize the opportunities available
qualified than any other class in the here" she said. "Explore widely and
history of the University" said Ted dig deeply into areas that interest
Spencer, associate vice provost and you; develop friendships that will
executive director of undergraduate sustain you.'
admissions. Sullivan also urged students to
The University received 29,939 use the resources here, whether it
applications from prospective be joining a student organization
freshmen for the 2009-2010 aca- or meeting regularly with academic
demic year - an increase of 133 advisers.
from the previous year. Around 92 Engineering Prof. Michael Thou-
percent of those who applied were less encouraged each student to
in the top 10 percent of their gradu- avoid becoming a "passive observer
ating class, and had an average high from the back of the classroom?'
school grade point average of 3.8. "One day soon you will graduate
More than half had volunteered at a ceremony similar to this one,"
with community health programs, Thouless said. "The diploma you
while 30 percent scored between 30 receive should be much more than
and 36on the ACT. just a sign that you have spent time
Keeping in line with the pro- at one of the finest institutions in
gram's theme, "Your Time, Your the world. It should also be a sign
Place, Your Michigan," speakers that you have spent your time here
urged students to become active well?'
"