10 Delaware students have 'probable' swine flu

The University of Delaware mobilized efforts to contain infection as the number of students with "probable" swine flu grew from four to 10.

Classes went on as usual at the 20,000-student university in Newark while officials awaited test results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the 10 cases.

The university, which has about 7,800 students living on campus, has not isolated the infected students, but is encouraging them and others with possible symptoms to follow CDC recommendations for "self-isolation," said Andrea Boyle, a university spokeswoman.

Students arriving at the clinics were given masks to prevent the spread of infection by coughing. Anyone with flulike symptoms was supplied with antiviral medicine and told to stay home for two days after the symptoms end, students said.

Freshman Rachel Falk, 19, went to the clinic with a fever, body aches, and a bad cough. She said her roommate also was ill with flulike symptoms.

"My roommate went to a fraternity formal with someone who recently went to Mexico," Falk said.

The assessment inside the clinic was brief, she said. After filling out a form indicating her symptoms, she met with a doctor and was given Tamiflu.

"I cannot go to class until two days after my symptoms end," Falk said. "I feel better that I have medication."

The university issued e-mail and text message alerts to staff and students about four cases on Tuesday evening when preliminary tests came back as "probable" swine flu.

By yesterday afternoon, the number had risen to 10, including one student who had traveled to Mexico during spring break between March 30 and April 3. And about 250 students had sought medical attention at the school's health clinics, Boyle said.

What's more, the university announced on its Web site last night that it had canceled two events scheduled for today: a talk by noted journalist Gwen Ifill at 4 p.m. at the Roselle Center for the Arts and a concert by Young Jeezy that had been set for 8 p.m. at the Carpenter Center.

Still, officials urged the university community to be careful, but not panic.

"We have to keep this in perspective," Gov. Jack A. Markell said at a morning news conference. "The students have come down with only minor symptoms."

Other area universities posted alerts about the flu for staff, students, and parents, and put their health clinics on notice to watch for possible cases, but none were reported. Some schools, however, moved to cancel study programs in Mexico.

As the first area college to deal with possible swine flu, Delaware had to decide whether to keep the sprawling campus open. The health department recommended that it stay open, university officials said.

"There's not a great way to isolate on a residential campus," said Marcia Nickle, the university's emergency preparedness coordinator, whose team kicked in over the weekend when the cases of probable swine flu first surfaced.

University president Patrick Harker said keeping the school open would allow officials to track a possible outbreak and treat sick students if needed.

But he said the school would review the situation day by day. Some activities might be canceled, he said.

Two of the original four students tested live on campus. None of the four had been to Mexico, and none had contact with anyone from Mexico. They apparently do not know one another, the officials said. One of the students who lives off campus has gone home to New Jersey to recover.

University officials were interviewing the other six students yesterday afternoon to determine travel, contacts, and other information.

Students and staff were concerned, but not panicked.

"I don't know anyone who hasn't been coughing and sneezing and having a runny nose over the past month, because it's the height of allergy season," said Martha Buell, a professor of human development and family studies.

The state sent 50 nurses and other health professionals to establish a second health center at the campus capable of assisting up to 5,000 students, officials said.

Paul Silverman, Delaware's public health director, said it would take two to three days before the cases could be confirmed because of a backlog of test requests at the CDC.

"As you can imagine, the CDC is getting swamped," he said.

James Newman, chief medical officer of Christiana Care, which operates two hospitals, said there had been no unusual bump in the number of emergency room patients.

This is a normal time of year for outbreaks of standard flu strains, he said, and people with symptoms should not assume they have the swine virus.

Senior Katie Fransen, 21, said she had gone to the clinic for common cold symptoms.

"They told me since my symptoms are taking care of themselves there is nothing to worry about," she said.

About 100 people were working inside the clinic, wearing red vests and masks, she said.

At a student center central to campus, sophomore Kristen Baine of Bear, Del., said she had received all the alerts from the university. The system also recorded a message at her parents' home.

"My mom's nervous," Baine said. "I bring hand sanitizer around with me."

Other universities stepped up alerts yesterday.

"We are working closely with local and state health officials to share information and prepare for the possibility that the outbreak may affect our community directly," the University of Pennsylvania said in a campuswide alert.

Penn and Ursinus College were among a group of colleges nationally that announced they had suspended their programs to Mexico.

Pennsylvania State University "strongly recommended" that all students and faculty defer travel to Mexico.

Three Rutgers University students studying at the University of Yucatan, Mexico, have been advised to remain at home with their host families, "follow health precautions, and remain calm," said Sandra Lanman, university spokeswoman.

Schools are to be closed in Mexico until Wednesday, she said. The students are hoping they can finish their programs after that, she said.

The University of Delaware's emergency team increased precautions after the first probable cases surfaced. The janitorial service wiped down touch points and doorknobs on Tuesday.

At Happy Harry's Walgreens Pharmacy on campus, a table with hand sanitizer and wipes is displayed at the entrance of the store encouraging students to protect themselves against swine flu.

Alice Fraser, a cashier at Happy Harry's, said students had bought a lot of hand sanitizer but not too many masks.

"I use hand sanitizer, and I have gloves if I feel I need them," Fraser said. "We interact with so many students, and I would become too paranoid if I worried about catching it."