WSU flu count climbs

WSU health officials reported Tuesday having been contacted by more than 2,500 students who had influenza-like symptoms since the start of the fall semester.

Two cases of the swine flu were confirmed in Whitman County residents by the State Public Health Laboratory last Thursday. The samples were from a 19-year-old male and a 24-year -old female, both from Pullman.

Local health officials said those test results show the wave of illness that swept the Washington State University campus is likely the H1N1 virus, the swine flu.

Whitman County Health Department officials said the concern now is the spread of the disease off-campus, where more high-risk citizens live.

“There’s no doubt that this wave will spread from WSU to the community,” county health officer Dr. Tim Moody told the Gazette Tuesday.

None of the WSU patients’ symptoms have yet been severe enough to require hospitalization, but Moody said members of the general population are typically at higher risk than young, primarily healthy college students.

Symptoms have typically included a high fever, a dry cough and sore throat. Body aches, headaches and a feeling like the roots of your hair are on fire frequently accompany the fever, according to a press release from the county health department. The illness has been lasting from three to five days.

Those infected have thus far responded well to treatment by rest and acetaminophen or ibuprofen, but the virus could have more serious implications for the elderly, the very young, pregnant women and those with chronic medical problems.

“Even though a lot of us that are healthy may not feel this is a big deal, when they get it, it very easily could be,” said Moody.

Moody said efforts to count the number of sick Whitman County residents off campus have been harder to target. Health department officials have been contacting area clinics and schools, but not all have kept count of the number of patients they have seen with flu-like symptoms.

Moody did say about 27 residents were reported sick over the weekend in Pullman, including a two-year old that was kept overnight at Pullman Regional Hospital Friday and released Saturday morning.

The health department has been contacting school superintendents, Moody said, to reinforce the need to step up efforts to fight the spread of the disease as it hits more school-aged children.

He said Tuesday that more than five percent of the students at Colton School had been kept home with symptoms, and approximately 25 children were kept home from school at St. John.

Moody said a vaccine for the 2009 H1N1 virus is in the works, but will not be consistently available until the middle of October.

“But by that time, we may have had so many people already exposed that it may be too late to do much of anything,” he said.

He pointed out very few cases of swine flu have been confirmed by the state Public Health Laboratory, and high-risk patients should still get the vaccine – even if they have already been sick with the flu.

Moody said the count should begin to drop, as more people take self-care precautions and do not report illness to health officials.

He urged residents to continue to take hygienic measures like frequent hand washing and staying home if ill to prevent further spread of the disease.