Since the beginning of this semester, there have been roughly 50 presumed cases of the H1N1 virus at Loyola University.
Sophomore Daniel Greco was one of those 50 cases.
Greco, 20, an accounting major and resident assistant in Mertz Hall, became ill with the virus over Labor Day weekend.
“I could pinpoint the half hour decline from when I was feeling well to when I was feeling really sick,” said Greco.
His symptoms were akin to those described in e-mail messages to students from the Wellness Center: fever, chills, nausea and coughing. Although he was able to go home for three days and rest, Greco said that some milder symptoms, such as congestion, persisted for a week after he returned to school.
Though Greco is confident he had the virus, the Wellness Center is careful to label these cases as probable because only hospitals are allowed to test people for the virus.
Because the Wellness Center sees students from both on campus and off campus, they are not able to determine how many of the cases were from students on campus, said Diane Asaro, M.S.N., R.N., B.C., director of the Wellness Center. However, there have been probable cases of the virus in all five freshman residence halls.
“In each of the halls, there’s been someone who has been asked to self-isolate, but they may have been moved to an apartment with a single room available,” Asaro said. “A lot is dependent on their specific cases and the space that is available.”
Enforcing self-isolation is a precautionary step the university has taken to decrease the probability of other students contracting the virus.
“The fever is really the one symptom we’re looking at,” Asaro said. “It gives us a pretty good idea of where you are in the course of the illness. Because you have a fever more towards the beginning of your illness, it helps us make the determination of whether you need to isolate or not.”
For a student who is asked to self-isolate, it is recommended that he or she remain in a designated room for 24 hours until the fever has gone away without taking fever-reducing medication.
“On the Lake Shore campus, there are four Loyola-owned apartment buildings that we have been using with rooms that have been vacated, and we ask students to go to those,” said Warren Hale, director of Residence Life, although he declined to indicate which buildings.
Hale said that the apartments the students self-isolate in are empty rooms in buildings that are occupied by other Loyola students. He is careful to stress that the health of the other residents will not be compromised because the ill student will not be going in and out of his or her room.
Hale also mentions that the four apartment buildings have never had all of their vacant rooms completely full at the same time due to self-isolation.
During their isolation, resident assistants bring the students food and check in to see if they need anything while they are sick.
Because Greco is also a resident assistant, he acknowledges that he may be required to deliver food to those who are ill. However, he does not see this task as unpleasant.
“As an R.A., I’m willing to do that,” he said. “I ultimately care about my residents and want to help them out. It sucks to be sick.”
Junior Caitlin Zerr, an accounting major, lives off campus and was sick with the virus. Her illness was only two weeks ago, much more recent than Greco’s.
“Overall, it was how I imagined it,” she said, “just like a regular flu.”
Like Greco, Zerr said the Wellness Center encouraged her to go home until her symptoms diminished. She is grateful that her mom was able to make the six-hour drive to Loyola to take her back to St. Louis.
Zerr appreciates the steps the Wellness Center is taking to try and keep its students healthy, as well as helping students like her who have already contracted the virus.
“When I went to the Wellness Center, they gave me a bag of ‘goodies’ to take back with me, which included masks, ibuprofen, hand sanitizer, thermometer strips and a list of directions,” she said. “They also e-mailed my professors, stating that I would be absent from class until my symptoms were gone.”
Amanda Keaney, a freshman with an undecided major living in Mertz, became slightly apprehensive when one of her floormates had a probable case of H1N1.
“I was a little nervous about getting the virus, but I wasn’t extremely worried because they caught it pretty early,” she said. “I didn’t really take many more precautions than what I already take because I wash my hands pretty frequently already.”
However, freshman nursing major Amber Omiecinski, a resident of Regis Hall, has taken more steps to try and rid herself of germs ever since a fellow floormate contracted the virus.
“I was so scared about getting it after I heard about her getting it,” she said. “I now use Purell every chance I get.”
Greco and Keaney, like Zerr, are thankful for the measures the university has taken in to protect its students.
“The university is doing more than enough,” Greco said.
Keaney agrees.
“It’s hard to control any virus,” she said. “There have been a few reported cases here, but overall I think they are taking a lot of precautions to prevent it from becoming an outbreak.”
However, Asaro wants to re-emphasize a number of items to faculty, staff and students.
“The most important thing is that people continue to be vigilant about hand-washing and covering your mouth when you cough,” she said. “We’re expanding our H1N1 flu shot, so get that when it’s available, and ask questions so you don’t let panic take over.”
Asaro wants to stress to everyone that the H1N1 virus at Loyola has been relatively contained. The Wellness Center will let students know when further H1N1 vaccine are made available.
“Overall, our cases have been limited and they’ve been mild to moderate illnesses,” she said, “but everyone has a part to play in keeping this under control and to keep this community as free from infection as we can.”
Visit the Wellness Center’s Web site, luc.edu/wellness for more information.
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