UW-Madison health officials reported Thursday that higher than normal numbers of flu-like cases have occurred recently on campus, and say they expect these numbers to continue increasing as the school year progresses.
University Health Services Director Dr. Sarah Van Orman said among these cases, about a handful have already tested as positive for H1N1.
She said UHS is prepared to see marked increases in these cases among students as flu season approaches.
""This is what we expected,"" she said. ""[The virus] is coming and people need to be aware that it is on campus.""
According to Van Orman, the H1N1 virus is different from the seasonal flu because humans have no immunity to it, so a majority of those who come in contact with the virus will get sick.
Craig Roberts, a UHS epidemiologist, said the virus' ability to spread relatively quickly puts UW-Madison students at high risk for contracting it.
""In close environments like dorms or sororities, where people spend a lot of time together, the opportunity for spreading it is pretty high,"" he said.
With the upcoming football season, Van Orman said she urges students to take extra precaution and try not to share drinks with others while tailgating.
""Drinking alcohol doesn't kill it,"" she said. ""Sharing cups and cigarettes is basically giving it to someone else, so people really need to be careful about that.""
Roberts said UHS officials have been working to communicate with UW-Madison students about how to prevent the virus from spreading, citing that the two most important things students can do are to stay home if sick and to wash their hands often.
""We're trying to slow down the spread within the university community,"" he said. ""The only way we can control that is if people get sick they should be staying home.""
According to Van Orman, UW-Madison will only cancel classes if the number of sick students and staff is so high that the university is unable to continue with normal daily business.
Roberts said an H1N1 vaccine is expected to be available as early as mid-October and will be free for all UW-Madison students.
