LOCAL COLLEGES READY FOR VIRUS
 
BY AMY CALDER
Staff Writer
 
10/04/2009
 
And college officials are making plenty of information available -- both on campus and on the Internet -- about the virus, about how to take precautions against getting it, and what to do if you get sick.
Officials at University of Maine at Augusta and University of Maine at Farmington, as well as those at Colby, Unity, Thomas and Kennebec Valley Community colleges say that, as of Thursday, they had no confirmed H1N1 cases.

But they're poised to deal with it if they do.

"We have been doing some testing and we've had a few influenza-like illnesses, but nothing so far -- knock on wood," said Anna McGalliard, director of health services at Unity College. "If students do have influenza-like illness or H1N1, we're isolating them in their residence hall if they can't get home."

McGalliard said that ideally, it is best if parents can take students home, and they are asked to stay home until their temperature is back to normal without use of fever-reducing medicines.

"The ones that can't get home will stay on campus in their rooms," she said. "We find alternative rooms for their healthy roommates. Meals get delivered and their professors are notified and they're excused from classes."

The H1N1 vaccine is not yet available in Maine, but college and university officials say they expect it will be available on campuses in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, officials are taking all sorts of precautions and posting educational information on walls everywhere -- and on college Web sites, with links to sites such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We've distributed sanitizing wipes to all laboratories and classrooms and encouraging people to use them as they come in for the next class," said John Delile, dean of finance and administration at Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield.

Hand sanitizers were available on campus in many places but have been expanded to all spaces, Delile said.

"Now, we're putting them into classrooms and offices and laboratories -- so they're everywhere."

At Colby College in Waterville, President William Adams has addressed both students and parents on the H1N1 virus and a message from Paul Berkner, college medical director, is posted on the Colby Web site.

"We are focusing on the idea of social-distancing and self-isolation," said David Eaton, Colby's director of communications and marketing. "We are not quarantining students who are exhibiting ILI -- influenza-like illness; we're asking them to stay in their rooms. We're working with dining services to get their meals and asking them to stay out of dining halls and out of classes."

Eaton said Thursday that officials have seen no H1N1 on campus but have seen between 30 and 35 students with influenza-like illness. For the most part those were mild cases, lasting a couple of days, he said.

Meanwhile, information is readily available for students and others on the virus and officials stand by, ready to help.

"He (Berkner) has held at least one public meeting on campus that I know of and his staff is available whenever students want to talk with him," Eaton said.

At the University of Maine at Augusta, Bob Stein, director of external relations, says there has been extensive communication with students regarding swine flu and three bulletins have been posted on the UMA Web site.

"There are also posters plastered across the campus and hand sanitizers have been installed in several locations," Stein said in an e-mail.

UMA does not have residence halls, so officials cannot confirm any definitive cases of swine flu there, he said.

"However, there is a student reporting system for calling in absences, and through that system, we think there may be some suspected cases."

At Thomas College in Waterville, a planning committee has been meeting regularly, education is available on campus and provisions made for students who may become sick so that they may do some work online, according to Lisa Desautels-Poliquin, vice president for student affairs.

Students who do become sick are asked to report the illness to the health center, she said. They also are asked to stay home if they are commuters. If they live in a residence hall, they are asked to stay there, depending on how far away there homes are, and if that works for them, she said.

Desautels-Poliquin said information changes daily about when the H1N1 vaccine is expected to arrive in Maine and on campuses, but it looks like may be available by the end of October or early November.

Reporter Betty Jespersen contributed to this story.