Released 7 p.m. Sunday, May 3, 2009
Dr. Jack Turco, director of health services at Dartmouth announced this evening that five undergraduates have been identified as “suspected” flu cases.
While the students have reported flu-like symptoms, none are confirmed as having either Influenza A or the H1N1 strain.
The students will be tested for Influenza A and B at the New Hampshire state lab in Concord. The College expects to have test results within a few days. If positive for Influenza A, they will then be tested for usual seasonal subtypes. If negative for these seasonal subtypes, the specimen will then be sent to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) lab, for confirmation of the H1N1 subtype (commonly known as swine flu).
The students are in voluntary isolation and will be staying in their rooms, for a period of time as recommended by the New Hampshire guidelines.
Three of the students are staying in the infirmary at Dick’s House in separate rooms. The students have relatively mild symptoms, as of Sunday evening. One entered Thursday (April 30). Two entered Sunday (May 3).
A fourth student voluntarily returned home to Maine Saturday (May 2).
A fifth student lives in an off-campus house in a single room, and is voluntarily isolated as of Sunday (May 3).
All five students were evaluated at Dick’s House, which is following state guidelines for collecting specimens. The names of the students are not being disclosed for privacy reasons.
It should be remembered that there is a very good chance that these students will eventually test negative for the H1N1 strain of Influenza A. However, precautions will be taken until test results are available in the next 48 to 72 hours so as to minimize the spread of the H1N1 subtype if present.
The symptoms that constitute a suspected case include a temperature of 100 degrees and flu-like symptoms including runny nose, sore throat and cough. We anticipate that we will see additional individuals reporting these symptoms. Contingency plans are being developed to allow the College to isolate students with new, suspected cases, if they appear.
The following advisory posted May 1 for visitors to campus remains in effect: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~prepare/swineflu/visitormemo050109.html
The College is issuing regular updates, as new information becomes available. The swine flu situation presents a very rapidly changing challenge that will require adaptation to evolving circumstances. Dartmouth policies will be revised as new developments occur and public health recommendations change. We urge members of the community to stay abreast of developments at Dartmouth and elsewhere through the following web sites:
