Posts Tagged ‘swine flu’

We’ve been keeping an eye on the Swine Flu situation at LSU. We were the first to publish about the first confirmed case; then student health center confirmed 27 cases, 20 of which were sorority girls, and then we picked up news that even the formidable Athletics Department wasn’t immune from the wrath of Influenza Type A.

But today, The Reveille reports that over 200 cases of H1N1 are suspected on campus by the student health center. That means approximately 1 in every 175 people on campus have been infected—and the SHC is seeing this number growing daily. The University is taking necessary measures to ensure those infected are properly treated and is urging any others possible infected to receive treatment as soon as possible.

The Reveille is reporting that LSU senior associate athletic director Herb Vincent has confirmed several cases of Type A influenza. The exact number at this point is unconfirmed, and the Athletic Department suspects that its a spillover effect from the general student population so no epidemic within the athletic community in particular is suspected. All athletes are being urged to follow the same precautions Chancellor Michael Martin issued the student body earlier this week. The Department is dealing with illness on a case-by-case basis. No swine flu (strain H1N1) has been diagnosed yet within the Department, but as with all flu this season is presumed to be so.

I doubt this will adversely affect in any way the opening of the football season in eleven days, but we’ll keep this story updated.

LSU has confirmed 27 cases of swine flu on its campus, 20 of which were from a sorority function. The Student Health Center has taken extra precautions since this week is a rush week, but type A influenza, of which swine flu is a strain, is easily spreadable by human contact. The Greek Council has said that all events will continue as planned. The University confirmed that all students lived off-campus. The University is urging any full-time students experiencing symptoms to visit the Student Health Center for treatment to prevent further spreading within and outside of the LSU community.

If you experience any symptoms of swine flu or any strain, please see a medical professional.

We were just alerted that roughly a month ago LSU had one reported case of H1N1 swine flu. Fortunately, there has only been one confirmed case and none since then. Luckily, it seems that the worst of this epidemic has passed.

The DHH issued a press release this morning declaring seven confirmed cases of influenza A strain H1N1, more commonly known as the swine flu. Five cases were in Lafayette at the Cathedral Carmel School school that was closed early this week. There was also one case in Orleans Parish at the Audubon Charter School and a case in Ascension at Lake Elementary School. Officials said that the latter two schools will remain open because both students have been absent for some time. There are still no confirmed cases in Baton Rouge.

The DHH is continuning to monitor this situation. Governor Bobby Jindal is holding a press conference today at 2:30pm—we’ll update with any new information.

The most shocking news coming from these confirmed cases is that the Ascension case did not have any direct link back to Mexico.

If you’ve been paying attention to the world, by now it’s likely you’ve seen the outbreak and subsequent public hysteria surrounding Influenza A virus subtype H1N1—or, more commonly, swine flu. As readers of our fine hyperlocal blog, you’ve probably also noticed that we’ve been mysteriously quiet about the whole situation. While many traditional news agencies have published dozens of article about swine flu, we’ve only published one. And that article was called “No Confirmed Cases of Swine Flu in Louisiana” and it served only one purpose: to tell you not to panic.

And now, I just wanted to say that until there is a confirmed case of swine flu in Louisiana, you won’t here anything about it from us. Why? Because there’s really no reason to worry or panic until it actually gets here. You can see from the swine flu map that reported cases are still several hundred miles away from our state. Sure, there have been suspected cases of swine flu, but there haven’t been any reported cases yet. The Governor’s press conference yesterday confirmed that he and the DHH are taking preemptive measures to ensure the safety of the public, so the closing of schools has nothing to do with any outbreak. In fact, since the human flu is a derivative of the same strain and we are in flu season, it’s very likely that these suspected cases are just that—suspects.

I really don’t think it’s expedient towards any cause to bring more attention to a matter that’ll likely subside than is necessary. Of course, that isn’t to say that you shouldn’t be prepared—you most definitely should be. Furthermore, we will update when we actually receive news of a confirmed case. That is all.

Just to be totally clear: There have been no confirmed cases of swine flu H1N1 in Louisiana. The closing of the school in Lafayette this week was a precautionary move only by the DHH and Governor Bobby Jindal. Some of the kids did test positive for the flu, but only for the common A strain.

There is no reason as of this moment to be alarmed about the Swine Flu. The DHH and the Governor are taking precautionary measures to ensure public safety. We’ll keep you informed as the case develops.