UHS Charts H1N1 Plan

Harvard University Health Services has identified 38 unoccupied dorm rooms throughout the House system to isolate students who have the H1N1 “swine” flu and do not have single bedrooms.

Two sick students will be placed in each of these bedrooms if needed, and Harvard University Dining Services will deliver meals to the rooms while the students are in isolation, according to UHS director David S. Rosenthal ’59.

These bedrooms have not been used yet because Stillman Infirmary has a capacity of 15 people and is not full, Rosenthal said.

Since August 26, 49 people have gone to UHS with influenza-like illnesses, the vast majority of whom were undergraduates, Rosenthal said.

College students with single bedrooms—roughly one-third of students on campus have singles—have been sent back to their rooms to recover. They have been given masks to wear for when they use common bathrooms, and their food has been delivered to their bedrooms by HUDS. Undergraduates from within two to three hours of campus have been sent home to recover.

“The resident deans are in good communication with [Ad Board Secretary Jay L. Ellison], the deans, and UHS,” said Lisa Boes, resident dean of Pforzheimer House.

Flu symptoms are called influenza-like illnesses because Massachusetts is no longer testing for the H1N1 flu versus the seasonal flu, but the recent cases are almost certainly H1N1 flu.

“There’s almost no seasonal flu that’s been detected in the last month or so,” said Marc Lipsitch, a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.

UHS gives digital thermometers, masks, tissues, and Purell dispensers to people who exhibit flu-like symptoms. Students can leave isolation after 24 hours without a fever, which usually takes three to four days, Rosenthal said.

Lipsitch said the UHS flu procedures for isolating students were exceptionally cautious.

“The best expectations are that it’s going to be a mild illness in most people, so I think that’s a pretty conservative thing to do,” Lipsitch said.

Rosenthal recommends that everyone receive the seasonal flu vaccine. UHS ordered 150 percent more seasonal flu vaccines this year and has already administered seasonal flu vaccinations to almost 1,000 people, including over 300 freshmen.

But the H1N1 flu vaccine is not yet ready. Lipsitch estimates that a small number of doses will be ready in October, but most of these vaccinations will be reserved for high-risk groups.

UHS has a list of about 500 people within the University who are high-risk, not including pregnant women, Rosenthal said. This list includes undergraduates with chronic illnesses who have reported to UHS.

Lipsitch said that the H1N1 vaccine might be widely available by December or January, but he estimates that the number of people with the flu will peak in October or November.

HUDS has also been enacting policies to prevent the flu from spreading in dining halls, according to an e-mailed statement released by HUDS spokeswoman Crista Martin. Martin could not be reached by phone for comment.

These policies have included installing hand sanitizers, posting signs with hygiene tips, changing service spoons frequently, and wiping down commonly touched services.

—Staff writer Danielle J. Kolin can be reached at dkolin@fas.harvard.