<p>Has anyone heard about cases of 'swine' flu on campus since the beginning of the semester? My kid seems to have some symptoms, and I'm wondering how many others have shown signs. He's had body aches, sore throat, and a low-grade fever (just below 100) since early Sunday. He's not certain that it's the flu -- he doesn't think he feels sick enough. Anyone had, or heard of, mild symptoms like this?</p>
<p>To err on the safe side, he is self-isolating in his room, and his roommate might be staying somewhere else for a couple of days. Is this overkill?</p>
<p>I’m not a student or anything(I wish!) but I think it’s a good idea. With the flu season starting up, it’s a good idea to just stay away from those who are sick for a while. Your son would probably feel better after a little bit of rest.</p>
<p>What your son is doing is not overkill at all. In fact, it is exactly what all the officials on campus and every RA has been telling students to do if they think they are getting sick. If possible, he should go home, but if that’s not an option then self-isolating is definitely the way to go. There have been cases of the swine flu on campus, so it is better to err on the side of caution. </p>
<p>If you have any questions about how your kid can get food without leaving the room, feel free to ask. Also, make sure you tell him/her to not go to class if they are still feeling bad. That is the worst thing that he/she can do. The office of the Dean of Students will work with your kid and the professors to make sure any work that is due can be made up.</p>
<p>Packerfan: Thanks for easing my concerns, as usual. Going home is not an option (>2000 miles), so he is staying in his room. I do think he will try to venture out to campus health today, as his fever has risen considerably (102+ and not coming down much, even with meds). I have read and re-read the emails and online guidelines, and shared them with him, so hopefully he’ll concentrate on resting up and getting better before he starts worrying about classes and making up what he misses. Thanks again for your compassion and taking time to address my worries!</p>
<p>There has been a tremendous outbreak of H1N1 here at UNC. We keep getting emails about safety and precautions to take if we suspect we have it. However the health centers cannot be fully certain that it is indeed swine because they do not have the appropriate tests (cost too much) so they can only assume it’s swine by the symptoms that individuals have been displaying. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>I read somewhere that there are prepackaged meals for sale at Rams Head that provides enough food for 3 days. Also, I think there is a form he can download and sign giving a roommate or friend permission to use his OneCard for purchases. This may help him if he can’t leave his dorm. I think all this info is somewhere on the Campus Health website.</p>
<p>I hope he feels better soon. We live about 800 miles away, and I can only imagine how he (and I) would feel if he were sick.</p>
<p>I recieved an email on 9/3/09 outlining Carolina’s F1N1 procedures. (Have you signed up for the parent’s listserve group?) They provided the following: </p>
<p>Q: What is the best source of updated information about H1N1 on campus?</p>
<p>A: The University’s Department of Environment, Health and Safety, [UNC</a> Department of Environment, Health & Safety: Stay Healthy](<a href=“http://www.ehs.unc.edu/healthy/h1n1.shtml]UNC”>http://www.ehs.unc.edu/healthy/h1n1.shtml), is leading Carolina’s response to the H1N1 flu in collaboration with the UNC Health Care System, UNC General Administration, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Orange County Department of Public Health.</p>
<p>Information about H1N1 is updated as conditions warrant on Alert Carolina, alertcarolina.unc.edu, and on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, [CDC</a> 2009 H1N1 Flu](<a href=“http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/]CDC”>http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/)</p>
<p>The following links will provide the most updated information about H1N1:</p>
<p>Lottastrikes and Demom: Thanks for the info. I have perused the website and read and reread my parentlink emails more times than I care to recall! That’s the one action I can take from this far away at all hours of the day and night. :)</p>
<p>Anatoly: You don’t have to worry about his roommate – he’s local and could have gone home, but moved into a nearby dorm room with a relative for a few days instead. </p>
<p>It looks like my son’s case is winding down, and he’ll probably be fever-free for 24 hours in time to attend classes tomorrow. I still wonder, though, if the campus is seeing similar cases by the handful, or the dozens, or the hundreds. I understand that testing for the actual H1N1 virus is not being done except in cases of hospitalization, but I imagine there are others like my son who have experienced enough symptoms to feel the need to self-isolate. I just wonder how widespread these instances are… and whether there is any method of tracking available other than word-of-mouth.</p>
<p>Grizzmom
I feel for you and share your concerns - my son is also a first year OSS. I had a dual reaction to the email that the university sent. I am glad that they are addressing the H1N1 situation and making plans but I hate the idea that my son might get sick and we are too far away to do anything. I am happy to hear that your son is on the mend. Like you I do wonder about the number of cases on campus. I guess in the end, we have to chalk it up as a learning experience for both us and our kids - that they can survive the flu without us.</p>
<p>I’m glad you’re son is getting better. As far as the tracking goes, I think Campus Health is tracking it, but there is no official count or anything like that, as far as I know. From what I can tell so far is that the cases have been pretty sporadic. Students have been really good about isolating themselves if they feel sick. If I had to make a guess, I’d probably say there have been dozens of cases at most, definitely not hundreds.</p>
<p>My roommate came down with H1N1 on Friday. I immediately left to go home and returned late on Labor Day, and she seemed fine. She went to the doctor and isolated herself while I was gone. I’m still a bit uneasy about that, but it worked… I doubt this post is very helpful, but I’m just letting you know that yes it is happening…</p>
<p>Maziana,
Thanks for sharing. Your post was most certainly helpful – you told me just what I was looking for: that my kid wasn’t the only one suffering. He’s better now, FWIW, and attended classes for the first time all week today.</p>
<p>It sounds like you dodged the bullet when your roommate got it. I wish you luck in your continued health, or a very mild case if you absolutely can’t avoid it!</p>
<p>Packerfan,
Thanks. I did find the article interesting, and appreciate you posting the link. The article confirms my suspicion that it is impossible to really determine how many cases there are or have been on campus. For now, I’m just pretty happy to say that, as of yesterday, the one case I was following closely is no longer active!</p>
<p>I think my son has had it this past week. He (like many others) didn’t go to student health as it seems there is really no reason to go unless fever cannot be controlled or symptoms become alarming. I agree there is no way to accurately judge the numbers. Son became ill last Sat and finally today is venturing out a little. His symptoms were fever, nausea, body aches, dizziness and a terrible cough.</p>
Going home is not an option (>2000 miles), so he is staying in his room. I do think he will try to venture out to campus health today, as his fever has risen considerably (102+ and not coming down much, even with meds). I have read and re-read the emails and online guidelines, and shared them with him, so hopefully he’ll concentrate on resting up and getting better before he starts worrying about classes and making up what he misses. Thanks again for your compassion and taking time to address my worries!</p>