Universities brace for fall swine flu wave

Universities and colleges across Canada are preparing for potential outbreaks of swine flu on campuses this fall.

Students often live in dormitories, attend large classes and socialize in ways that help spread germs, such as hugging or kissing.

Healthy people aged 19 to 24 should be near the front of the line for a vaccine against the H1N1 pandemic strain once it's ready, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Starting on Aug. 15, student leaders at campus dorms will be trained to recognize symptoms of swine flu, said Dr. Pierre-Paul Tellier, director of student health services at McGill University in Montreal.

"Part of my talk, which is the usual sort of 'sex, drugs and rock 'n'roll' talk, will be discussing the flu and planning with the flu, and getting them ready so they can handle situations on their floors if these situations arrive," Tellier said.

Students are receiving letters advising them to bring their own hand sanitizer and thermometers to monitor their own temperatures.

Stay in room if sick

Some university health centres have also stockpiled masks and gloves, and set up telephone lines for students to call if they are showing symptoms.

Dalhousie University in Halifax is encouraging students to avoid ill people and avoid crowds if feeling ill.

Residence students who are ill should stay in their dorm room. The University of Toronto said it's ready to deliver meals to sick students in their dorm rooms.

At McGill, Tellier said dorm leaders will knock on the door of ill students to check if anyone feels worse, and will keep a close eye on students with chronic medical problems. Students who are ill will be encouraged to use a designated area of communal bathrooms.

The challenge could be convincing students to stay away from the lecture hall if they're sick.

"Students want to do well, so they have a tendency to drag themselves out of bed to get to class," saidLucy Fromowitz, assistant vice-president of student life at the University of Toronto, who is in charge of getting the school ready for the pandemic.

At McGill, professors have been invited to prepare lectures ahead of time to post online if they get sick. The university has sent out disclaimers to students noting the number of hours of a course may change if an outbreak occurs. But sick note requirements to miss class or make up a test or exam will likelybe waived during an outbreak, Tellier said.

The University of Toronto said it's preparing for as many as 15,000 students to get sick this fall, or 30 per cent of the school'spopulation of 50,000 students.

Countering invincible attitude

At a barbecue in a residence courtyard,U of T physics student Ali Shaik said he's not worried at all about swine flu.

"It just seems overly hyped up. It's not really a threat to me," he said.

That attitude of invincibility has school administratorsand health officials worried about how to get the message out to young people that they are vulnerable to the virus.

Health officials will turn to Facebook and Twitter to try to reach them, said Dr. Arlene King, Ontario's chief medical officer of health.