UHS Preps for Swine Flu Concerns

In an effort to counteract the potential spread of the H1N1 “swine flu,” Harvard University Health Services is offering earlier vaccinations for the seasonal flu at more locations, intensifying outreach about preventative measures, and preparing for the worst-case scenario: a flu epidemic.

There will be a 150 percent increase in the amount of seasonal flu vaccine available this year, and more UHS employees are now licensed to give the vaccine, according to UHS director David S. Rosenthal ’59.

UHS will receive the increased supply of seasonal flu vaccine tomorrow, and the vaccine will be administered at 40 different sites—about twice as many as last year, Rosenthal said.

But these increased shipments of vaccinations will not include those for H1N1.

The H1N1 vaccine is still in development by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and should be released this fall.

Rosenthal said that optimistically, the vaccine should be ready by the middle of October.

The CDC recommends that certain groups receive the vaccine first, including pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions.

“Asymptomatic college-age students are not on the priority list right now,” Rosenthal said.

In the meantime, the University is escalating its outreach efforts to publicize its advice about preventative measures, according to University spokesman Kevin Galvin.

Rosenthal said that he anticipates a rise in the number of cases when students arrive on campus, and encourages everybody who has a fever and a cough to be evaluated by UHS.

Dean of the College Evelynn M. Hammonds sent an e-mail to Harvard College students and parents last Wednesday initiating the outreach campaign, and UHS held a meeting with freshmen parents last Thursday advising them about the flu.

Rosenthal said that the University is also creating emergency plans to help cope with the large number of additional cases.

He said that a hotline is in progress so that faculty, staff, students, and parents can call and speak directly to a “healthcare professional.”

Rosenthal added that since the CDC recommends that people with the flu be isolated until 24 hours after they are fever-free, UHS is also trying to locate enough space throughout the university to isolate ill students who are not in single bedrooms.

But Rosenthal recommended that regardless of whether or not the university experiences an epidemic, students should continue to practice good hygiene and not come in close contact with people who appear ill.

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