Rumors of upcoming class cancellations at Mississippi State University due to an H1N1, or “swine flu,” outbreak aren”t true, university officials said this week.
As of Thursday afternoon, the university had 109 potential cases of H1N1 on campus, though only eight cases have been confirmed by the Mississippi Department of Health, said Robert Cadenhead, administrator of the university”s Health Center. Some of the cases might be seasonal flu, Cadenhead said, though he acknowledged seasonal flu outbreaks typically don”t show up until later in the year.
When asked about the rumor of class cancellations next week, Cadenhead said he”s heard of no such plan.
“That I know of, that is not being considered,” he said. “While it sounds like we”ve got a lot of cases, we”re nowhere near the point where we would consider doing that. We”re mostly doing information campaigns.”
A campus-wide e-mail about the swine flu situation went out Wednesday night, said director of university relations Maridith Geuder. The university also put FluWATCH door hangers and magnets in residence halls, FluWatch decals on mirrors in campus restrooms, posters all over campus, advertisements in shuttles and will have an ad in the Reflector, she said. The university also will put public service announcements on campus TV and radio, along with a statewide news release.
The university is also distributring thermometers to students that it had ordered last year with plans to distribute them as part of a welcome package, before the swine flu virus hit.
“It just so happens all this H1N1 stuff started happening this spring,” Cadenhead said. “It was pretty coincidental.”
The university also distributed “thousands” of masks in residence halls, Cadenhead said. Residence halls will distribute the masks to students displaying flu-like symptoms, he said.
Latosha Willis, a sophomore from Grenada, lives in Sessums dormitory and said the Health Center held a meeting there recently for all residents. Willis said she”s been taking extra precautions since she heard of the H1N1 outbreak, like washing her hands more often.
“My mother called me and said ”Don”t you bring that swine flu back home,”” Willis said with a laugh.
Many on the Mississippi State campus are concerned about the recent outbreak.
“I”m worried to death,” said Tee Taylor, a senior from Jackson. “I”m fixing to go get some gloves, some hand sanitizers.”
“Tee said it all,” chimed in Taylor”s friend, Derrick Dixon, of Camden. “I”m kind of worried, too.”
On the other hand, some students weren”t all that concerned.
“I”m not really too worried,” said Chance Brett, a senior from Ellisville. “It”s just the flu. I don”t guess it”s going to kill you, unless you”re a little kid or a senior citizen or something.”
Brett”s friend, Daniel Haigler, also from Ellisvile, said he probably won”t take any extra precautions to avoid the H1N1 virus.
“I ain”t changing nothing,” Haigler said. “I”m not too worried.”
Jason Ashley, of Amory, only recently heard about the outbreak..
“I just heard about it, but I”m not too worried,” Ashley said.
Other students hadn”t heard about the H1N1 cases, either. But Megan Holt, of Starkville, figured it was only a matter of time before H1N1 arrived at MSU.
“It doesn”t surprise me at all,” Holt said. “It just seems like it was happening everywhere else, so eventually it was going to happen here.”
The university is asking students and faculty with flu-like symptoms to avoid contact with other people.
“The most important thing you can once symptoms manifest is to hibernate in one place,” Cadenhead said.
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