HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Swine
CHRISTINE NEWBY
managing editor
Four reported cases of the
HINI “Swine Flu” at Penn
State Behrend have spawned
rumors, false information,
and wild speculation around
campus.
Accounts of the illness’s
mortality rate, recovery time,
and the effect it will have on
the college may change de
pending on who one speaks
to. Local health profession-
Knecht, the current mortal
ity rate of the 2009 HINI
virus is 0.001 percent. The
mortality rate for the sea
sonal flu is .01 percent.
Charlotte Berringer, Direc
tor of Community Health for
the Erie County Health De
partment said that 36,000
deaths occur per year in the
United States for the sea
sonal flu.
HINI spreads faster
than seasonal flu.
“In the United States, from
April to the middle of June,
the HINI virus crossed six
WATER POLO
Men's water polo rebuilding dismantled team
RACHELLE THOMPSON
staff writer
For the 2009 Behrend men’s water
polo team, this year is all about re
building.
Despite the team’s 0-7 record and
losing all but four players last year,
head coach Joe Tristan isn’t worried
about his team’s struggles.
“This season is about rebuilding,
and I don’t want to talk about the
past.” Tristan said. “That’s why it’s in
the past, yeah, it would have been
great to come back with what we had,
but we have character now. We move
on. It doesn’t matter who is on the
team- we’re going to play no matter
what.”
The team starts their workweek on
Monday night and it continues
through Saturday morning.
The players will practice for typi-
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Flu: Fa
regions across the world,”
Berringer said. “Any bug to
spread rapidly is a concern.
In a few months, it was all
over the world.”
Berringer said that in
her 30 year career in the
health field, she has never
seen a bug spread so fast.
There are already hun
dreds of Swine Flu cases ii
Erie County.
There have been 23 con
firmed cases of the HIN
virus in Erie County, and 4‘.
probable cases, between thi
end of May and Sept. 26.
At Penn State Behrend
there have been only fou
cases of the HINI virus con
firmed. Seven other student!
tested positive for Type A in
fluenza, but there is no offi
cial word on whether the;
are positive for HINI.
College students are
more suseptible to HINI.
While the seasonal flu pri
marily causes deaths in the
older population, the Swine
Flu has been swarming the
younger population.
“Most of the confirmed
cases both locally, statewide,
and across the nation are in
fants to 24-year-olds,”
Berringer said. “Twenty-five
percent of the (H1N1)
deaths have been among
younger, healthy children
and young adults.”
Behrend is going to shut
down.
If the spread of Swine Flu
continues to extremes this is
a possibility; however, the
college will not shut down
because of four cases.
Berringer says that in the
scenario that the flu reaches
hundreds of students, the
college may make this deci
sion.
“The college administra
tion would talk to the local
and state health departments
and the state system of
higher education about what
the college would do,”
Berringer said.
cally two hours; this will happen every
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
nights. Tuesday and Thursday prac
tices are different.
The team begins at 6:30 a.m. and
consists of lifting and pool drills. Then,
they must come back at night for their
usual practice.
“What’s great about these players is
that they don’t complain.” Tristan said
“They are hard-working and they do
what they are asked,not only do they
work hard at practice, but out of the
pool they are continuously working at
becoming better players. Some [of
them] will ask for game tape so they
can see [their] mistakes and try to get
better.”
Another way the team is rebuilding
themselves is by new players stepping
into new positions.
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There is a
vaccination for Swine Flu.
According to. Berringer
that there are two vaccines:
a nasal spray and injection.
The nasal spray wiU be out
to the public first.
According to Erie County
health officials, the spray
will be released as early as
mid-October.
“There will be 1.3 million
doses nationwide,” said
Berringer. “Since there is a
limited quantity, most of the
first doses will be to ages five
to nine because they need
two doses.”
Behrend students are also
one of the first priority
groups to get the vaccine be
cause of the age of students.
She also said that by the
end of October, the injection
vaccine will be available to
local healthcare providers.
The HINI vaccination
provides protection for the
seasonal flu.
The HINI vaccination
does not protect against the
See Water Polo on page 12 77,6 m 6n ’ S Water po, ° team lOSt a " bUt f ° Ur playerS from laSt year
Health, patients must get
separate vaccines for full
protection.
“I strongly suggest for
people to get the HINI vac
cination,” Berringer said.
Once you are infected by
Swine Flu, you cannot get
After catching Swine Flu,
you can’t get the virus a sec
ond time.
However, there is a chance
that someone can get the
seasonal flu a couple times.
“There are three other
strands of flu circulating (be
sides H1N1),” she says. “If
you are infected with one
(strand), you are not pro
tected from the other two.”
You are contagious only i Other strands of flu circulating
When you notice symp- | besides the swine flu.
toms.
“You are contagious one
day before you have symp
toms,” Berringer said.
According to the
HlNlinPA.com, a person
will be contagious up to
seven days after the first day
of being contagious.
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with scattered showers stray shower possible stray shower possible
Forecast courtesy Matthew Alto , weather editor
Swine Flu:
By the Numbers
Percent of the cases that go to
the State Public Health Lab
are the 2009 influenza A
(H1N1) virus
Probable cases of the 2009
HINI virus in Erie County from
May 31-Sept. 26.
Percent of the 2009 HINI
deaths has been among young
healthy children and young
adults
Confirmed cases of the 2009
HINI virus in Erie County from
May 31-Sept. 26.
Times more likely to die from
seasonal flu than the 2009
HINI virus
Confirmed cases of the 2009
HINI virus at Behrend.
Number of days that one is
contagious before symptoms
even appear.
RENOVATIONS
New seating, other
improvements
coming to Reed 117
MIKE 0. WEHRER
University Officials have nearly fi
nalized plans to completely renovate
Reed 117.
Students have already begun to see
many of the changes to for the Reed
Union Building. Such as the much-im
proved bookstore and new offices, and
the moving of the RUB information
desk to the Student Activities office.
The next changes to impact stu
dents’ use of Reed will be the new stu
dent lounge downstairs and the
renovations to Reed 117, where stu
dents enjoy movies and other enter
tainment courtesy of the Lion
Entertainment Board and other stu
dent groups.
Reed 117 was the second most pop
ular choice among students who re
sponded to the facility fee poll last
year.
Unlike the proposed convenience
store, the renovations to Reed 117 and
the student lounge are fairly far along
in their respective approval processes,
according to SGA President Brad Ko
valcik.
The proposed convenience store is
still undergoing a feasibility study to
determine what form the store would
take if one is constructed at Behrend.
Both Reed 117 and the student
lounge have passed the feasibility
phase and will be going out for bid in
November.
The bidding process will continue
through January, and construction will
begin in May 2010, and construction
on both projects is expected to be
See Reed 117 on page 3
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Contingency plan
devised for students
with swine flu
Behrend Housing and Food Services
has devised a contingency plan for stu
dents who have been infected with the
HINI virus.
Upon becoming infected, there are
several options a student has to
choose from. For students who live
near campus or are able to make the
trip, they may return home in order to
isolate themselves until they are well.
Because a trip home is more inconven
ient for students who live far from
campus or have come from distant
parts of the world, they will be given
further options.
“We are allowing [the students who
test positively for swine flu] to stay in
their rooms,” says Randy Geering, Di
rector of Housing and Food Services.
“We feel that they will not want to
move to a larger uncomfortable space
that does not have any of their com
forts such as TV and computer."
Roommates of infected students are
given a few courses of action as well.
Until their ill roommate is ready to
return, they may temporarily relocate
with a willing friend who lives on cam
pus, or they may room with a Resi
dence Assistant. They are also
permitted to remain in their own room
if they so choose.
According to Geering, there are 19
available spaces with Residence Assis
tants —12 male and 7 female.
See Swine Flu on page 3
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