Everyone knows someone who knows someone whose little sister’s ex-BFF has caught the swine flu. Or so the stories are told. One has to wonder if the stories are true, or if H1N1 is being blown way out of proportion.

Americans are following news reports of H1N1 closely, just as we have with any pandemic–remember the bird flu? It’s no surprise that a sort of “swine-flu panic” has erupted in the U.S. An example of this panic: countless websites now feature pages devoted to flu prevention, including the UWMC’s website.

So, is H1N1 a threat to the UWMC campus? “[It’s] possible,” said Gigi Koenig, Assistant Dean for Administrative Services. “We have NO confirmed cases, but we have had a number of suspected cases.”

Koenig continued, “When I say, no confirmed cases, that is because most health care providers are not testing for the H1N1 virus, but rather, based on the symptoms presented, will treat the patient for flu.”

The American College Health Association (acha.org) receives reports of “influenza-like” symptoms from 253 universities and colleges across the nation. As of Sept. 14, there have been 6,432 cases of suspected influenza, including sixteen hospitalizations. Suspected, not confirmed.

So what exactly is a suspected case? A student who is sneezing, coughing, and has a runny nose. Or in other words, someone who looks sick. Then, there are those students who feel sick and assume the worst. “I have had two students contact me and self isolate,” Koenig said. “They were encouraged to contact their instructors via e-mail for assignments, etc.”

Whether or not students are overreacting, the number of college students with flu symptoms is a bit alarming. The number of laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1 internationally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), comes in at 296,471, and that number is growing.

Mind you, the seasonal flu puts more than 200,000 people in U.S. hospitals every year.

The high risk factors for coming down with H1N1 are children under 5 years old, those 65 years or older, pregnant women, and people with certain medical conditions include kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, and asthma. Likewise, these are the same high risk factors for catching the seasonal flu. These factors don’t exactly describe the typical college student.

Not to say that it’s impossible to become infected with H1N1 when you’re a healthy 18-year-old. No one should think they are invincible. Reminders to cover your sneeze and wash your hands are posted everywhere because doing so is a good idea. Not only because it’s gross not to, but because the H1N1 virus is still pretty elusive.

Brand new hand sanitizer dispensers have shown up in the UWMC’s halls seemingly overnight, and there have been rumors that professors have to report sick students. Koenig says that these are, in fact, just rumors and that “the only reporting professors have to do” when students are ill is to the custodial staff so that they may clean the classrooms.When H1N1 struck earlier this year, there were school closings in hopes of stopping the virus from spreading. This fall, however, the CDC is not so quick to close schools. So what will happen if H1N1 does reach our school?

“A campus Pandemic Influenza Response plan was written in the spring,” Koenig said. “It provides us with guidelines and strategies for working through the outbreak. We will work closely with the Marathon County Health department in the event of an outbreak. The Marathon County Health Department will not close a school as a strategy to prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus. However, they will recommend closing the school if there is a high absenteeism rate.”