BU releases H1N1 vaccines to high-risk students

‘ Boston University Director of Student Health Services David McBride announced a one-day H1N1 vaccine clinic on Tuesday in an email to students who identified themselves as having a condition that could place them at a higher medical risk should they contract H1N1.

‘This includes patients with illnesses such as asthma, immunodeficiency and other chronic diseases,’ the email said.

The email went on to say SHS had just received a limited supply of the H1N1 vaccine from the state, but did not expect to have larger quantities until January for students without underlying conditions.

Although the exact date for the arrival of major quantities of the H1N1 vaccine is still unknown, Vice President of Administrative Services and head of the BU H1N1 task force Peter Fiedler said students should be reassured the administration will distribute the vaccine ‘as soon as we get it.’

‘Right now there is a little trickling in and hopefully we will have more after intersession,’ Fiedler said.’

Universities will receive more batches of the vaccine as it continues to be manufactured, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said during a H1N1 preparedness phone conference with college newspapers including the Daily Free Press on Thursday.’

‘We are not out of the woods with regards to H1N1,’ Duncan said.’

Duncan said the best way for college students to prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus is to receive the vaccine as soon as it becomes available.

‘About 84 percent of colleges in the U.S. have received doses of the vaccine,’ Duncan said, encouraging students to try to get vaccinated before winter break, when many students will travel through airports or other highly populated public places.

Duncan instructed students to look on flu.gov to find other locations near their universities where the vaccine is available in case it is difficult to get vaccinated on campus.

College students should also make sure to clean the surfaces in their dorms and, if infected, avoid going to class until 24 hours after their fever subsides, Duncan said. In line with BU policy, Duncan said students who live close enough to their respective universities are encouraged to go home if they become infected with the H1N1 virus.

‘It’s not helping your peers if you are going to class sick,’ Duncan said.

BU has spent much of this semester working to formulate flu policies that would adhere to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for flu-like illness.

SHS released guidelines in late September for students should they become infected with H1N1. This includes instructions for treating symptoms, preventing the spread of the flu and the institution of the Flu Buddy program.

‘We are basically freshmen in dealing with H1N1,’ Fiedler said. ‘It is a variant of the seasonal flu, but that does not mean it isn’t still a threat.’

Fiedler said trying to mobilize all the components of how to deal with the outbreak of H1N1 at BU was difficult at first, which may have been the reason why the isolation of sick students in early September was not widely publicized.’

The Daily Free Press reported on Sept. 22 that students were concerned by the administration’s transparency in revealing isolation locations, after second floor Danielsen residents were unaware that students with symptoms were being moved into on their floor.

‘We may not have been one of the first universities to put up posters about having a flu buddy or using hand sanitizer,’ Fiedler said. ‘But we were making sure what we put out was helpful, and we were already thinking of ways to deal with the H1N1 strain when news broke back in April.’

BU ranks among area universities with the fewest cases reported, with about 400 cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) on campus over the course of the fall semester, Fiedler said.’

Fiedler said the incidence of ILI for November was down from previous months, and as of Dec. 3, there were no students in isolation.’

Student Union president James Sappenfield said BU has been reasonably transparent since it was first announced that there were students being isolated in Danielsen Hall.

‘ ‘There was initially a lack of organization, but I think it has been positive overall,’ Sappenfield said.’

Sappenfield said Union was able to appoint a representative to the H1N1 task force, which opened up more communication between the students and the administration.’

The low number of infected students reported by the task force demonstrates how underwhelming the flu has actually been, Sappenfield said.

‘The numbers for the H1N1 flu are way below expected, and the typical flu is below expected too,’ Sappenfield said. ‘It’s still necessary for students to be well prepared though, and BU is doing what they can to vaccinate and educate people about it.’

The decrease in reported cases mirrors the drop in cases seen on a national level. During the week of Nov. 22 to 28, flu activity declined in the U.S. and the number of states reporting widespread flu activity decreased from 32 to 25, according the CDC website.’

‘What this means, we don’t know,’ Fiedler said. ‘But it proves that all of the measures we have taken have contributed to the fact that BU has one of the lowest numbers of cases among the area colleges. We are trying to keep things status quo.’

Some BU students said they would still take their chances by not getting the H1N1 vaccine.

School of Management junior Tiffany Lin said she was not planning to receive the new vaccine, but did receive the seasonal flu vaccine at BU.’

‘It seems like it is unnecessary at this point,’ Lin said. ‘It hasn’t really affected my life, so I probably won’t get it.’

College of Arts and Sciences junior Ronny Taitel also said he would not get the H1N1 vaccine, even if and when it becomes available to BU students.

‘It is important for BU to have [clinics] though,’ he said. ‘BU is a big institution, so it’s probably necessary to let everyone know what they can do to not get the flu.’