Ball State University officials confirmed Wednesday that there have been two students likely infected with swine flu this school year.
Kent Bullis, director of the Amelia T. Wood Health Center, said the Indiana State Department of Health told Ball State the strains tested positive for influenza A, a virus that is the H1N1 strain in 98 percent of patients.
The first positive test occurred the week before classes started and the second was discovered during the first week of classes, Bullis said.
Kay Bales, vice president for student affairs and dean of students, said one of the students lives in a residence hall, but she would not specify which hall. Bales said both students were asked to isolate themselves in their living facilities and not interact with crowds of people in hopes of stopping the virus's spread, in accordance with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
Bullis said the CDC recommended giving everyone with flu symptoms the same advice about the virus, despite if they test positive for H1N1. It is the student's responsibility to inform any roommates and residence hall staff about their individual cases, he said.
Bullis said the virus's spread to Ball State didn't surprise him.
"Once all the students came on campus I knew we would see a lot of people getting sick," Bullis said. "I'm surprised we haven't seen more."
The World Health Organization declared the H1N1 virus as a global pandemic on June 11. College students have also been named a high-risk group to contract the virus because of close living facilities and frequent social contact, according to the CDC.
At least 625 people have died from the virus worldwide, while there are 254,206 laboratory-confirmed cases, according to WHO last week.
Bullis said in an Aug. 21 interview that the university will receive H1N1 vaccines between the middle of October and the first week of November. He also said that if students don't get vaccinated as much as 30 to 50 percent of campus could become infected with the virus.
Bullis and Bales said it's important for students to be vigilant about how they're feeling and what it takes to keep them healthy.
"It's good for [students] to be aware of what's going on," Bullis said. "It's important for them to know the alarm symptoms and what to do if those happen. [Ball State] could have had more positive cases [of H1N1]. It's possible they never were reported."
Related linksBall State's response plan to H1N1
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