As the winter flu season looms, Columbia awaits its first shipment of the H1N1 vaccine as already-infected students begin to recover and assess the hype around the illness.
“We think it will come soon,” said Dr. Samuel Seward, the medical director and assistant vice president of Columbia’s Health Services. Barnard has already acquired a limited number of vaccine doses and began administering them on Nov. 16 to extremely high-risk patients—people who have existing medical conditions such as asthma, chronic kidney disease or cancer, or who are caring for a young infant. “The timing is right to get it,” Seward said, adding that he encourages students to get vaccinated at New York City Department of Health-sponsored weekend clinics.
Though the vaccine is not widely available yet, students who have actually had swine flu debate whether it was as bad as the hype.
“It sucked, but it wasn’t any more than a regular flu,” Jules Caldarera, CC ’13, said of his experience. “I thought it would be worse.”
Lauren Nevitt, CC ’13, speculates that the hype about the virus could have influenced her perception of her illness. “I probably thought it was a lot worse because of the hysteria. The fever part was really bad,” she said. “Strep throat is even comparable. It was bearable, but it was just a little bit worse than most illnesses.”
“It felt like I got hit by a car,” Nancy Huemer, BC ’10, said of her first day of illness. Though she contracted the virus two weeks ago, she still feels sick.
For Dominic Moss, CC ’13, the hardest thing to endure about swine flu was the food he received while quarantined.
“The meal system was definitely the worst part,” he said. “I still have a couple of tins of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup. I couldn’t leave the room to warm it up.”
According to Seward, the gravity of swine flu for the average person’s health has been exaggerated.
“The word ‘pandemic’ is a scary word and that people understandably get nervous when they hear that term,” he said. “Overall, the illness has been mild, and given that, there’s probably been more anxiety nationally than is currently appropriate that we’re seeing.”
At Barnard, “Approximately one hundred students have reported influenza-like illness, a number comparable to that of peer institutions,” said Brenda Slade, Barnard Director of Student Health Services.
Seward placed emphasis on the importance of staying aware of the seasonal flu. “The flu is a good thing to be aware of. I encourage everyone to get vaccinated for the seasonal flu every year, as I do,” he said. “Most people don’t realize that almost 40,000 Americans die every year of seasonal influenza. That’s a lot more people killed than from other commonly seen illnesses.”
Seward warned of a possible increase in the number of people with the flu.
“We may even see more cases as the winter nears, just because the influenza virus tends to prefer cooler temperatures,” Seward said of both the H1N1 and seasonal flu. He added of the H1N1 flu, however, “With the passage of time we’re less and less worried this is going to become more serious.”
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