Spring Break
Univ. takes precautions against swine flu
Issue date: 4/30/09
The state of Maryland reported six possible cases of swine influenza yesterday, three of which were from Baltimore County (at press time none of these cases had been confirmed).
This announcement followed one made earlier in the day regarding the first swine flu-related fatality in the United States. So far, cases of the swine flu have been identified in ten states as well as eight countries.
In the weeks since swine flu first emerged in Mexico, many subsets of the Hopkins community have been rapidly implementing pre-established plans to deal with a possible pandemic. At the forefront of this effort is the Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR) which is in charge of planning for community-wide emergencies and implementing appropriate procedures. "We've spent quite a long time over the last couple of years preparing for a pandemic," James Scheulen, the executive director of CEPAR, said. "Hopkins really has done an extraordinary amount of planning for how we can protect our patients and protect our students." Concern about swine flu stems from the fact that it is a Type A strain of influenza, the same type that caused the 1918 pandemic (Spanish flu), the 1957 Asian flu and the 1968 Hong Kong flu. Type A is generally only seen in animals, while Type B and C are usually seen in humans.
At the Homewood campus, many student services are taking preventative measures in the hopes of avoiding problems.
"Obviously we are all now maintaining an elevated level of suspicion," Alain Joffe, director of the Health and Wellness Center, said.
"If someone shows flu-like symptoms, we are screening them to find out if they have traveled to or come from a hotspot. We try to identify any epidemiological links."
According to Joffe, the Health and Wellness center has started using rapid flu tests on anyone with questionable symptoms.
When testing for flu in the past, the Center took throat swabs and sent them to a state lab for analysis, but results could take days to return. The rapid tests enable the Center to quickly identify whether a patient has a Type A strain of flu, but the tests cannot diagnose swine flu.
This announcement followed one made earlier in the day regarding the first swine flu-related fatality in the United States. So far, cases of the swine flu have been identified in ten states as well as eight countries.
In the weeks since swine flu first emerged in Mexico, many subsets of the Hopkins community have been rapidly implementing pre-established plans to deal with a possible pandemic. At the forefront of this effort is the Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR) which is in charge of planning for community-wide emergencies and implementing appropriate procedures. "We've spent quite a long time over the last couple of years preparing for a pandemic," James Scheulen, the executive director of CEPAR, said. "Hopkins really has done an extraordinary amount of planning for how we can protect our patients and protect our students." Concern about swine flu stems from the fact that it is a Type A strain of influenza, the same type that caused the 1918 pandemic (Spanish flu), the 1957 Asian flu and the 1968 Hong Kong flu. Type A is generally only seen in animals, while Type B and C are usually seen in humans.
At the Homewood campus, many student services are taking preventative measures in the hopes of avoiding problems.
"Obviously we are all now maintaining an elevated level of suspicion," Alain Joffe, director of the Health and Wellness Center, said.
"If someone shows flu-like symptoms, we are screening them to find out if they have traveled to or come from a hotspot. We try to identify any epidemiological links."
According to Joffe, the Health and Wellness center has started using rapid flu tests on anyone with questionable symptoms.
When testing for flu in the past, the Center took throat swabs and sent them to a state lab for analysis, but results could take days to return. The rapid tests enable the Center to quickly identify whether a patient has a Type A strain of flu, but the tests cannot diagnose swine flu.
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