The same virus that tore through the University of Maryland seems to be making its way onto the American University campus.
Samantha Grody, a sophomore at AU, contracted swine flu two weeks ago.
“I woke up and I literally could not move. And I had a really high fever and like was kind of shaking and I was really nauseous and…it was bad. And so I went to the health center and I had swine flu,” says Grody.
She is one of 40 reported cases so far this semester. According to Dan Bruey, the director of the Student Health Center, it’s only a matter of time before the number of cases increase.
“We probably will see a lot more cases as we go through the fall and seasonal flu starts, as well,” says Bruey.
AU will require all faculty and students to evacuate the campus if there is a pandemic, but the semester isn’t over as classes will resume online.
In the meantime, the university is taking preventative action, such as setting up hand-sanitizing stations on campus and offering free seasonal flu shots.
While Bruey expects an increase in cases, he is confident the virus won’t get a firm grasp on the university. Grody, on the other hand, says it already has.
“A lot of people just aren’t saying that they have it and so AU doesn’t know how many people in reality are getting it and how sick everyone’s getting,” she says.
The H1N1 vaccine is expected to arrive on AU’s campus late next month.
