At the Campus-Community Coalition meeting held last night at Ithaca High School, representatives from Cornell, Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3), Ithaca College, Tompkins County Health Department and various other healthcare providers addressed the current status of the H1N1 pandemic.

According to a panel of representatives, TC3 has seen between 40 and 50 cases of probable H1N1, Ithaca College has seen between 100 and 120 cases and Cornell has seen over 700 cases since the beginning of the semester. TC3 has a total population of 1,300, while Ithaca College has slightly fewer than 6,000 students and Cornell has approximately 20,000 students.

According to Tim Marchell, associate director of Gannett Health Services, at any given point, between 1 and 2 percent of the Cornell student body, or roughly 150 students, is infected with H1N1. Currently, there is no clear trajectory of the illness.

While the number of individuals infected with probable H1N1 at each school is of popular interest, the importance of the actual number is questionable.

“The bottom line is that this virus is prevalent throughout the entire northern hemisphere,” said David Newman, director of Ithaca College’s student health service. “Today there may be fewer cases in community ‘A’ or community ‘B,’ but in another two weeks, it may be the other way around.”

Marchell, Newman and Shari Shapleigh, TC3 director of health services, comprised the main panel. Alice Cole, Tompkins County Health Department public health director, and Jeff Snedeker ’78, pediatrician and infectious disease specialist, also weighed in on many of the issues.

Representatives from Cayuga Medical Center, Cortland and Ithaca Community Care Centers, Ithaca School District and members of the Tompkins County community were also present to take part in the question-and-answer session.

A key point stressed by the health professionals addressed the difference between contagiousness and severity. While many individuals report H1N1-like symptoms, the symptoms typically resolve themselves in a week and do not cause severe complications.

“I want to underscore that most of the students who contracted this illness have had a more mild experience,” Marchell said.

Take a deep breath: Health officials from TC3, Cornell and Ithaca College lead a panel discussion on H1N1 yesterday at Ithaca High School.

However, the panel urged that the flu should not be taken lightly. 36,000 individuals die from the seasonal flu every winter. Of the individuals hospitalized for the seasonal flu, 70 percent have underlying health conditions; meaning, the panelists stressed, that 30 percent do not. Therefore, individuals who have no apparent underlying condition need to understand the importance of proper care and health practices regarding the flu.

H1N1 vaccination protocol was also addressed, as five target groups have been identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as priority populations: pregnant women, household contacts and caregivers for children younger than six months of age, healthcare and emergency medical services personnel, all people from six months through 24 years of age and persons aged 25 through 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza. According to Cole, these groups comprise roughly 60,000 individuals in Tompkins County.

While the vaccine is expected to be available two weeks earlier than originally thought and only require one dose per adult as opposed to two, the high demand will mean that not everybody within these target groups will have access to the vaccine immediately.

“[There] probably will be, in the fullness of time, enough vaccine, but we don’t know if that means November or January or June,” Snedeker said.

Plans for administering the seasonal flu vaccine are also being developed at each campus. According to Shapleigh, TC3 has already vaccinated over 700 students at this time. Ithaca College will begin offering vaccinations today. Gannett will begin offering the seasonal flu shot on Sept. 25 at a variety of outreach clinics.

In terms of strategies used by each school, college officials and healthcare professionals have been working together to develop the most effective tactics. Strategies for business and academic continuity; information and posters on how to protect oneself against H1N1; open communication between the administration, faculty, staff and students; Web site updates; and correspondence with parents and families are all tactics currently in use.

Each school has also implemented tactics unique to their own student body. According to Newman, all students at Ithaca College use a main Web site to access their e-mail account. Students can simply click on a button on the Web site to alert the health services that he or she is suffering from flu-like symptoms and to receive information via e-mail. Gannett has also created a specific Cornell flu Web site, an e-mail address where students can send questions and H1N1 tool-kits including medicine, a thermometer, tissues, a mask and information for students. TC3 has also worked to develop various types of content that is accessible to the wide range of students attending the college.

According to Gary Steward, deputy director of Cornell Community Relations, the purpose of last night’s meeting was to give the community a chance to hear from all three neighboring campuses together instead of looking for information individually.

“I want folks to have a chance to talk to people working on the frontlines [and] to ask them questions directly,” Steward said.

The Campus Community Coalition started in 2003 due to concerns about off-campus parties and the need for open communication between all members of our surrounding community. The coalition seeks to bring together students, neighbors, law enforcement, elected officials and surrounding colleges. In the past, the coalition has also worked on the Virginia Tech shootings outreach and preparedness strategies.