Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius recommended in a conference call with college reporters Friday that universities create alternate housing and food delivery programs for students with possible cases of H1N1.
Penn currently has no official programs to perform either service.
“Most important probably in college campuses … is to separate kids as they get sick from other students, so moving roommates, either the well or the sick ones, out of joint living situations, having some kind of a meal brigade that can make sure that students with the flu don’t have to go to the cafeteria to get fed… These are strategies that will keep the flu from spreading,” Sebelius said.
Sebelius, who conducted the conference with Beth Bell, associate director for science at the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also emphasized the need for colleges and universities to deal with their individual flu outbreaks on a case-by-case basis.
Possible H1N1 cases at Penn have been comparatively uncommon, with a new possible infection rate half the national college average, according to the American College Health Association.
ACHA reported 21.5 new possible cases of H1N1 influenza per 10,000 U.S. students surveyed from September 5-11. Penn, however, reported just 12.4 new possible cases per 10,000 full-time students from September 6-12.
Matt Waller, director of Public Affairs and Communications for the Office of the Vice Provost of University Life, said Penn’s Pandemic Incident Management Team has developed strategies to combat a larger outbreak.
Bell stated that people under the age of 24, especially students, should be vaccinated for both seasonal influenza and H1N1.
However, the CDC currently recommends that antiviral medications be used primarily for patients with possible H1N1 who are at risk for complications, including patients with asthma, diabetes, heart disease or who are pregnant.
Bell and Sebelius expressed concerns that the H1N1 virus could recombine with the seasonal flu virus to become more deadly, but added that the H1N1 vaccine currently in development could still be effective against a recombinant strain.
Sebelius also said that given the young age of the population most affected by H1N1, the government has created an aggressive social media campaign to disseminate health information, including a Flu Prevention Public Service Announcement Contest on YouTube.
The winner of the contest will be announced tomorrow at 9 a.m. in a town hall webcast at flu.gov. Students are invited to submit questions on Twitter using the hashtag #collegeflu.
