Cases of influenza reported to Tufts Health Service are within a normal range as the flu season begins, a departure from last year, when there was heightened concern surrounding the early and widespread outbreak of the H1N1 flu strain.
Students have reported at least 24 cases of influenza to Health Service in the past two weeks, according to Health Service Medical Director Dr. Margaret Higham.
Flu season generally peaks in February or early March, Higham said. As this year's season gets underway, health workers have seen an expected increase in cases of mild to moderate influenza at Tufts and across the state.
While Higham classified cases of influenza seen this season as influenza type A, which includes the H1N1 and H3N2 strains of the disease, the concerns about the intensity of the strain's symptoms and the effectiveness of vaccines has subsided.
"We started seeing flu a couple days after students got back on campus," she said. "None of the students we've seen so far have been seriously ill or needed to be hospitalized."
Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) Media Relations Manager Julia Hurley said much of the hype surrounding last year's H1N1 pandemic was the result of its unseasonable arrival in late August and September. The outbreak provoked public concern because it required the development of an entirely new vaccine to combat the spreading strain, Hurley told the Daily.
"This year the vaccine does contain vaccine for H1N1," she said. "This is a more typical flu season, actually a slightly milder flu season," Hurley said.
The MDPH weekly statewide flu report, which compiles reports of positive cases of influenza from across the state, indicated that the highest percentage of flu activity was found in the outer metro Boston area. The most recent MDPH update, dated Feb. 3, deemed flu season in Massachusetts this year to be widespread but of minimal intensity.
Flu vaccine clinics organized in the fall by Health Service reached more students than ever, with over 3,000 students lining up to receive the vaccine, Senior Director of Health and Wellness Services Michelle Bowdler said.
"This was an absolute record year for the number of flu vaccines we gave to students," Bowdler said, adding that she hopes the high turnout will translate to fewer reported flu cases this season.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this year has abandoned last year's recommendations for heightened protective measures like strict isolation and the use of face masks in favor of a more traditional treatment approach.
Higham advised students diagnosed with the flu to take the responsibility to avoid infecting other people.
"Don't have kids hanging out in your room, try to stay to yourself, be really good about washing hands, try to stay out of dining hall, stay out of class until your fever is gone," Higham counseled. "As long as you're about six feet away from someone with the flu, those germs don't make it to you."
Bowdler echoed this advice.
"There are a few basic things that we talk about for all disease prevention. in particular, there's a lot of focus on hand washing, coughing into your sleeve, getting enough rest and eating well. And get vaccinated," she said.
A limited number of flu vaccine doses are still available to students at Health Services, according to Bowdler.
"It's never too late to get a vaccination," Bowdler said. "With H1N1, there are year-round possibilities of getting it. And immunization lasts a year."
