A Cornell University student died Friday of complications related to the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, marking one of the latest deaths in the epidemic that has spread to college campuses this fall.
Cornell junior Warren Schor’s death is Cornell’s first from the disease. Cornell has had more than 500 cases of the disease or a similar flu diagnosed in its Gannett Health Center, spokeswoman Claudia Wheatley said.
‘The vast majority of our students are having mild to moderate cases where they recover pretty much on their own in three to four days, which has been a relief,’ she said.
‘The Cornell community is deeply saddened by this death,’ she said. ‘The Cornell community tends to be very close-knit and our hearts go out to the family.’
While the death comes as a shock to the university, she said it has not caused ‘panic’ on campus.
‘It is a sad reminder of the importance of good health behaviors and following the prevention tips that we’ve been offering all along,’ she said.
The Cornell Chronicle reported that volunteers have assembled over 1,000 home flu care kits for sick students, adding to the health center’s own resources. But students said they were still concerned about the prevalence of the flu on campus.
‘People are starting to get worried,’ sophomore Michael Luo said. ‘A couple of my friends have mentioned that there are people in their classes that have it. They’re starting to be isolated in the classrooms. They’re supposed to sit in the back, away from anyone else.’
Sophomore George Kang said he has a classmate with the flu who has been absent since last Monday.
‘We were just a little concerned at first, wondering if other people in our class might have it because he might have given it to someone else,’ he said.
Most professors and the school administration have stressed the importance of staying away from class and the dining halls if you have flu-like symptoms, Kang said.
‘I think people have been taking this pretty seriously, especially after they heard the news about Mr. Schor,’ he said.
Kang said campus unease about illness in general has been heightened.
‘I think the general feeling is concern, maybe even a little paranoid,’ he said. ‘People think even if they’re a little sick, it’s swine flu.’
Freshman Rachel Kwon said there are ‘a lot’ of sick students around her, and the school has recommended that students ‘quarantine themselves’ if they are sick.
She said she thinks the school is handling the outbreak as best they can, but students are also responsible for their own health.
‘I’ve been receiving emails about the health condition, sanitation, about how we should check out but not all the time,’ she said. ‘Students should take the initiative.’
The official start of flu season is Oct. 4, and the swine flu vaccine is due to be administered across the globe. But Cornell students said they did not necessarily plan to get the vaccine.
Kwon and Luo said they will only consider the shot if they get sick or if the outbreak worsens.
Kang said he has never gotten a flu shot and has never gotten the flu ‘seriously,’ and does not expect swine flu to be any different.
He said the school has not advertised the vaccine’s availability to the students.
‘I would expect Gannett [Health Center] to send something out but we don’t know how to get it or where to get it,’ he said. ‘I don’t think people even know there is a vaccine.’
Wheatley said it is the school’s ‘best interests’ to inform students about the vaccine when it is available.
There have been around 600 swine flu deaths in the United States, only a few of which have been college students, since the outbreak of the disease in Mexico. Still, the Centers for Disease Control have said college students are likely to be susceptible to the highly contagious disease this fall. Washington University currently has over 2,000 cases, more than any other institution in the country.
BU will hold clinics for standard flu vaccines starting Wednesday and plans to administer the swine flu vaccine in October, BU Student Health Services Director David McBride said.
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