Harvard Near National Average, Above Mass. Average for Flu-Like Illness Between Sept. 12 and 18

Harvard University Health Services reported about 50 new cases of students with influenza-like illnesses during the period of September 12-18, placing Harvard at the national average for new flu infections on college campuses.

The nationwide infection rate for the period of September 12-18 was 24.7 cases per 10,000 students, according to the American College Health Association, while the Harvard rate was about 25.1 cases per 10,000 students for the same period.

But Harvard’s levels were far above the 3.9 cases per 10,000 students rate for Massachusetts during the week ending September 18.

There were about 50 new cases at Harvard last week as well, said UHS Director David S. Rosenthal ’59. Almost 70 percent of those new cases are undergraduates, he said.

The nationwide numbers for last week are not being released until Thursday, according to the American College Health Association.

UHS is closely watching for any changes in the number of new cases. Twice every weekday, Rosenthal meets with UHS’s chief of medicine, a College representative, and others by conference call to go over the numbers.

“Obviously, the question is: is there going to be a peak as the weather gets colder?” Rosenthal said. “We’ll just have to wait and see, but we’re monitoring it very closely.”

UHS has been following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation to isolate those with influenza-like illnesses. UHS has not been testing to differentiate between H1N1 and regular seasonal flu this school year upon recommendation from the Mass. Department of Public Health, instead treating all patients who present with flu-like symptoms similarly.

Stillman Infirmary can accommodate up to 15 people, sick students with single bedrooms are sent back to their rooms, and undergraduates with family within two to three hours of campus are sent home to recover, Rosenthal said.

UHS has also identified 38 empty bedrooms around campus in which to isolate sick students who do not have single bedrooms.

Harvard University Dining Services delivers meals to the bedrooms of students who are in isolation.

--Staff writer Danielle J. Kolin can be reached at dkolin@fas.harvard.edu.