Emory moves students with swine flu into one dorm

By Craig Schneider and Shelia M. Poole


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Emory University has moved about 50 students with swine flu into a separate dorm, where they are not attending classes and school workers are delivering food to them, officials said.

“The idea is to keep them separate from the other students while they recover,” Emory spokesman Ron Sauder said.

That dorm on the Druid Hills campus had been left open at the beginning of the school year.

Emory has about 6,900 undergraduate students and an additional 5,900 graduate students. Each of the sick students has his or her own room in the dorm, which has a capacity for 100 beds. The students are there on a voluntary basis, Sauder said.

Schools across metro Atlanta are taking precautions to prevent the spread of the swine flu, from making sure students wash their hands to sending prevention tips home to parents.

The University of Georgia’s health center has been busy with students who are sick with swine flu, said Liz Rachun, UGA’s health communications coordinator. The good news, though, is that the cases have been mild to moderate.

“There are a lot of sick kids on campus right now,” she said.

Swine flu is widespread in Georgia. The state is no longer testing each case for novel H1N1, commonly called swine flu. The state tracks hospitalized cases and deaths.

Since swine flu emerged in the spring, four people have died from it and 147 have been hospitalized in Georgia as of Aug. 26, according to state health officials.

Swine flu vaccine is expected to be available in October, officials said.

President Barack Obama said Tuesday that while swine flu vaccine will be voluntary, the government will “strongly recommend” that people get it.