Washington State University swine flu outbreak, 2500 cases reported

Washington State University is dealing with a swine flu outbreak, and approximately 2500 cases have been reported. With many school districts across the nation bracing for an outbreak, the immense number of cases at WSU show no sign of slowing down. The school was hoping that the Labor Day weekend would help slow the outbreak, but that wasn’t the case. When students reported back to class on Tuesday, September 8, 2009, 169 students were out with swine flu symptoms. That doesn’t mean that those cases have been confirmed, however. According to the University, they have stopped testing cases, but are closely working with the Washington Health Department.

With approximately 18,000 students, Washington State University has seen 2600 absent with swine flu like symptoms. The majority of the illnesses were mild and the students recovered easily. So far, no hospitalizations or complications have been reported. The outbreak has been so widespread that the Washington State University website has an H1N1 or swine flu guidance home page.

As is recommended across the nation, the website advocates washing your hands frequently with soap and water, coughing and sneezing into your sleeve or elbow if you don’t have tissue readily available and staying home if you feel ill or sick. It also tells the symptoms of swine flu as these are comparable to seasonal flu. According to information on the Washington State University website, the cases of swine flu have been milder than those of seasonal flu.

The University has a swine flu phase that helps identify the level of severity of the outbreak. According to WSU, they are at a Phase Orange, which is similar to the phase system used by WHO. A Phase Orange is similar to WHO’s Phase 5 and signifies human to human transmission with varying degrees of impact to Washington State University Students. According to WSU’s phase, they have one more level before entering recovery, Phase Red.

According to a report in the Seattle Times, the Health and Wellness Services of WSU Associate Medical Director Dennis Garcia believes that the number of swine flu infections might rise to between 5,400 and 9,000 cases.