University of Maine students urged to get H1N1 vaccine
10/27/09 | 11 comments

University of Maine students urged to get H1N1 vaccine


By Meg Haskell
BDN Staff

ORONO, Maine — Students at the University of Maine are being strongly urged to get vaccinated against the H1N1 flu virus, which has sickened hundreds of young adults at other college campuses around the country and in the state. The free vaccine will be administered at two back-to-back clinics scheduled for Nov. 9 and 10 at the university’s field house.

On Monday, university officials announced the first laboratory-confirmed case of H1N1 in a student on the Orono campus. The unidentified student lives in a dormitory and does not have a roommate. The student has elected to stay on campus to recuperate, with residence hall staff and others attending to the student’s needs, ac-cording to a university spokesman.

It is assumed that many other UMaine students who have not been tested also have been sickened by the H1N1 virus. The Orono campus is the state’s largest residential educational institution, with a total student population of about 12,000. About 4,000 students live in on-campus dormitories.

In an e-mail sent to all students on Monday, Vice President for Student Affairs Robert Dana warned them not to downplay the danger of getting sick with H1N1.

“If you get H1N1, your life will be seriously disrupted,” Dana wrote. “At the minimum you will miss several days of classes, work and other activities. If you develop a more serious case, the consequences could be much worse and might even make it impossible for you to complete the semester’s work on schedule.”

Students are being asked to preregister for a specific time slot to get a vaccine and are being assured they will spend no more than one hour at the clinic.

“It would be unwise to ignore this opportunity. The minor inconvenience of committing an hour to getting a vaccination is nothing compared to dealing with a significant case of H1N1 virus,” Dana said in his e-mail.

University spokesman Joe Carr said Monday that 6,000 doses of the injectable H1N1 vaccine have been ordered, but that it is unlikely all doses will be delivered to the campus before the scheduled clinics, because of a national bottleneck of both seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccine.

“We’re prepared to be flexible, to modify our plans based on availability,” Carr said. He said students who do not preregister would not be turned away as long as vaccine doses are available, although they may spend more time at the special field house clinics.

Vaccinations for the annual seasonal flu will not be available at the H1N1 clinics, but Carr said it is available to the university community through the Cutler Health Center.

Swine flu has hit hard at college campuses nationwide. In Maine, 265 students at Bates College in Lewiston and 194 students at Bowdoin College in Brunswick have been sickened since classes resumed this fall. Bates College spokesman Bryan McNulty said Monday that more than half of the affected students there went home to recuperate, and the college moved other sick students out of their dorms into college-owned houses to limit the spread of the virus.

Of the approximately 1,700 students attending Bates College, a total of about 1,000 have had the H1N1 vaccine, McNulty said.

“We think the worst is over,” he said.

At UMaine, Carr said there is no indication of very widespread illness at the Orono campus, but that as of last week, 27 students had self-reported flulike symptoms on the institution’s H1N1 Web site. Such reporting is voluntary, Carr said, so an accurate count of flu cases is not available.

“We expect that the number will start growing faster now,” Carr said, adding that the volume of students seeking care at the on-campus Cutler Health Center is increasing.

Dana credited the university’s H1N1 planning, which began last spring when the virus first emerged in Southern California, with holding down cases on campus to date, including a “full-bore campaign of information and public education” that met arriving students in September. Offering the H1N1 vaccine is another way the university can help students stay healthy, he said.

“We want to reiterate that we want people to take this seriously,” Dana said. “This is an illness that has made some people very sick and that is very disruptive to college students.”

While some students and others at UMaine have expressed concerns about the H1N1 vaccine’s safety, Dana pointed out that the public health community, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, continues to assure the public of both its safety and its effectiveness.

“I have three kids” — ages 22, 20 and 14 — “and they’ll all get vaccinated,” Dana said.

The UMaine H1N1 vaccine clinics will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 9 and 10, at the University of Maine field house.

On the Web: www.umaine.edu/h1n1

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Comments
11 comments on this item
On 10/26/09 at 10:28 PM, brianwhite wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

It is great that they are finaly setting a date but this is in the way far future. Hopefully the issuance and H1N1 will not beat each other out.

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On 10/27/09 at 12:16 AM, winspire wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I understand the concern, but this is a bit one-sided. There are a LOT of people with good reason to think the vaccination has more overall danger than the risk involved. The government’s record with vaccinations is checkered. There’s lots of material out there on that, but here’s one video done from a news channel that is worth watching-

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/661.html

How is the new vaccine safer than the old one? Why is the government not forth coming about the risks of the swine flu vaccine?

Even in the worst plagues that ever reached civilization, such as the bubolic in Europe in 1350/51 that killed off a third of the population, (nothing like this situation), but worth noting is that there were always a large number of people that were untouched.

Almost no focus is on that. Not much money in it is one suspected reason, but it’s too bad most people don’t learn the natural mechanisms that discourage illness and bring about better health. The ones that do have a serious advantage. (This written by a middle aged man who hasn’t had need of a doctor for almost all of my adult life- though I’m glad one was there when I broke my hand in 93 and I have nothing against them).

http://waterremedy.net

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On 10/27/09 at 2:51 AM, AdamFlanders wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I'm a student at UMaine and though I have signed up for one of the H1N1 vaccinations in November, I have also signed up for an influenza vaccination, which is far more deadly for people of all ages. Yeah, H1N1 has a tendency to target my age group (I'm 22) but I'm tired of all the hype. How many people died from avian flu? Only about 1,000 people have died from H1N1 so far, yet the CDC reports an average of 36,000 deaths from influenza each year in the United States.

I'm not against the vaccination, but I think the scare is ridiculous. As a student I'm constantly bombarded with terror reports and daily announcements from my professors and UMaine deans, etc. about the risk of H1N1 flu and all professors are required to have a plan of action in case there's an all-out breakout of the virus, which essentially involves quarantine and instructing students via the internet. I'm suspicious of anything that evokes mass fear like this. But I'm getting my vaccine in any case in November, and more importantly, my seasonal flu vaccine this Thursday. I encourage everyone to prioritize the latter.

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On 10/27/09 at 8:34 AM, Centaurmyst wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Gee...it would be nice if they would set up a clinic for pregnant women. That group has the highest percentage of dying from H1N1 and my 7 months pregnant daughter can't get the vaccine despite the fact that she ALWAYS gets the flu every year, usually twice each season and is VERY sick with it. I'm all for getting the vaccine to the other risk groups but I'm getting REALLY angry that pregnant women in the Bangor area STILL can't get this vaccine.

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On 10/27/09 at 8:50 AM, Amazed wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Winspire 10/27/09 12:16AM~ The brasschecktv.com video that you've listed reminds me of the symptoms that a very good friend had after receiving vaccines given by the military back in 1990. This individual was completely debilitated and was also made to feel like they were "crazy", as are the many thousands of parents who's children have autism and other illnesses after being given vaccines. People just don't seem to GET IT, until they themselves, or a family member's life has been completely changed by something like this. It's so much more common than people realize. Thank you for sharing that video. It's people like us who need to bring out the facts, so that people understand what's truly going on in this country.

LET'S MAKE OUR GOVERNMENT AND PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE FOR ALLOWING THESE THINGS TO HAPPEN.

There is an issue with vaccines, and a method of prevention is available but doctors are not utilizing it stating that it's too expensive. An estimated 1 in 50 humans suffer from a genetic IRAK4 impeded immune response (deficiency), which results in increased inflammation, plus increased bacterial, viral, and fungal infections. No precautions are being taken to protect the lives of these children before being given vaccines and there is a test kit available for doctors to test children. With so many children being diagnosed with Autism, not utilizing the test kit is totally irresponsible!!

http://deathbyvaccination.com/ When you get to this page, go almost 1/2 way down the page to read the facts concerning IRAK4.

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On 10/27/09 at 8:56 AM, Amazed wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Centaurmyst 10/27/09 8:34 AM~ Be thankful that your daughter hasn't been given any vaccine.

As of October, 2008, VIRTUALLY ALL FLU VACCINES CONTAIN MERCURY - 50,000 parts per billion of mercury (25 micrograms) per dose. This is FOUR times the daily limit for a 130 pound adult woman, and 25 TIMES the maximum daily limit for a 22 pound, 18 month old baby. The FDA exempts mercury in vaccines "FOR THE GREATER GOOD." There are some vaccines that contain about 700 parts per billion of mercury, instead of 50,000. These are labeled "mercury free", and must be specially requested by you from your doctor.

This is why we have so many children and also adults who are ill...

Please go to the website that I listed in my above post... read it thoroughly... and make your own decision...

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On 10/27/09 at 10:10 AM, Centaurmyst wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Amazed...my daughter gets horribly sick from the flu every year...usually twice. H1N1 is killing healthy pregnant women at an alarming percentage. Early on of the 34 pregnant women hospitalized with swine flu...6 of them died. They are only giving pregnant women the injection and not the nasal vaccine. She wants to get the shot and her OB/GYN wants her to get it because she WILL get H1N1 if she doesn't based on her medical history with the flu. My daughter also usually gets the flu at the same time each year...right when she is due. The respiratory complications with H1N1 could kill her and her son if she has it when she goes into labor. We will ask about mercury, but we do intend to get her vaccinated. I appreciate your concern.

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On 10/27/09 at 11:13 AM, debutante wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I wonder, if I start classes at the University of Maine will I forced to take this vaccine? It's going to be that there will no choice but it will be mandated, I think.

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On 10/27/09 at 11:15 AM, brianwhite wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

To all you female nuts and nutered males out there. Dont get the shot and if you get sick and maybe die dont cry. We wont missya.

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On 10/27/09 at 11:21 PM, Amazed wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Centaurmyst 10:10 AM~ Does your daughter have some type of an underlying medical condition that makes her more susceptible to the flu? I certainly can appreciate your concern given her past medical history.

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On 10/28/09 at 10:50 AM, mariahstorm wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

this is exactly where our 'foolish' new legislation is 'happening at'.........usm, children believing everything they are taught, rather than the strong abilities to stand on your own weigh the issues and make and informed decision, all on your own. Not structured blanketed persuasions!!!!! Would you want to have serious life long problems with your health just because someone wants to make a name for themselves or worse for huge PROFITS??? forgetting the true meaning of science????? NO!!!

but YES on ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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