H1N1 poses very few problems at UNL despite statewide outbreak

Nebraska is currently at the widespread level of H1N1 outbreak, which means influenza cases have been confirmed in at least half the regions of the state. But University of Nebraska-Lincoln students are not too worried.

The UNL emergency planning and preparedness Web site states that H1N1 has had “no immediate impact on UNL, its community or operations, except heightened alert, awareness and efforts to communicate the necessity of proper hygiene, and stemming the spread of the virus.”

Despite President Barack Obama’s decision to declare H1N1 a national emergency, the University Health Center did not change the way it operates in treating flu patients because the declaration affected mainly hospitals, said Jennifer Snyder, marketing coordinator for the health center.

The president’s decision allows hospitals to move emergency rooms off-site to speed treatment and protect uninfected patients. It also means less paperwork for H1N1 patients.

The health center does not have the H1N1 vaccine and is currently out of seasonal flu shots. The health center does not offer testing for the H1N1 flu because at the present time the tests only have a 10 to 70 percent accuracy rate, Snyder said.

The health center is just following the guidelines given by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in treating flu cases, Snyder said.

When people come in with H1N1 symptoms, health center staff will assume they have H1N1 and treat them accordingly. There are about 10 people coming in to the health center with the symptoms daily, Snyder said.

Last week, the University Health Center Student Advisory Board and Afrikan People’s Union sponsored a H1N1 information session in the Nebraska Union. However, only 12 people attended the talk by Dr. Nate Haecker, chief of staff for the health center.

“This is a good sign that people are not as worried about H1N1 as they think they are,” Snyder said.

Lois Olson, a senior advertising major, said she is not worried about swine flu because her sister, who is a registered nurse, said swine flu is just like another flu that is just getting more press.

Snyder said the H1N1 flu is actually more mild than the seasonal flu. More people die from seasonal flu, she said.

H1N1 is just getting more press because it occurred out of the normal flu season – H1N1 flu struck at the end of flu season last year.

The other reason H1N1 getting more press is the virus’s tendency to infect a younger age group. While flus normally attack the very young and the very old, H1N1 is affecting more kids than old people, Snyder said.

Olson said the only extra precaution she is taking is washing her hands often and not touching highly infected areas like door handles directly.

“Fear can make you sick,” Olson said. “Fear causes stress. When you’re stressed, your immunity is down, and when your immunity is down, your body picks up viruses more easily than normally it does.”

Olson said she is not planning to get the H1N1 vaccination because she believes her own body’s immunity is stronger than the vaccine in fighting the H1N1 flu.

“Some things you can control, and some things you can’t control,” she said. “If it is meant to come, then it’ll come. If not, then it won’t.”

RUTHANGELINA@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM