BU ready after swine flu hits Lowell, SHS says

Boston University officials said the school is ready to fully cooperate with health officials if H1N1, or swine flu, reaches Boston considering two cases were confirmed in Lowell Wednesday.

Massachusetts joined a reported 11 states with confirmed cases of swine flu Wednesday as the influenza spread to nine countries and the world-wide pandemic warning level grew, according to the Associated Press.

“There will, in all likelihood, be cases in Boston at some point soon,” Student Health Services Director David McBride said in an email Wednesday.

Swine flu “is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen,” according to the Centers for Disease Control’s swine flu website. 

There have been 91 confirmed cases in the US, and one Mexican toddler died in Texas, according to the CDC.  Mexico, where the possible pandemic’s virus is believed to have begun, has reported 168 deaths and more than 2,500 cases according to the Associated Press.

A “high level administrative group” has been meeting since the beginning of the week to address the issue, McBride said. In the mean time, hygiene efforts have increased. SHS has begun mandating protective face masks for students who come in with signs of the flu and hand sanitizer has been distributed throughout campus, he said.

“Active planning” is underway for students in international programs during the outbreak, McBride said.

The 13 students in the Guadalajara Engineering program in Mexico have been given the option to leave the program, which would normally end May 21, several weeks early. These students have also been advised to stay away from BU for at least a week if they choose to return. That suggested week, the recommended incubation period for the swine flu, will keep other students out of risk, McBride said.

Two children from Lowell who had visited Mexico were officially diagnosed with the virus, Gov. Deval Patrick announced in a news conference Wednesday afternoon according to a press release.

 “We will continue to monitor the situation and work closely with our health officials and others to limit exposure,” Patrick said.

According to the statement, the two children did not go to school while infected and are expected to fully recover.

“We continue to work closely with partners at the local, state and federal level to monitor the spread of swine flu and act quickly to slow its spread,” Massachusetts Department of Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach said in the release.

The announcement came the same day the World Health Organization raised the influenza pandemic alert from four to five, with six being the highest on the scale.

All countries should activate their “pandemic preparedness plans” WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said in a statement Wednesday.

“This change to a higher phase of alert is a signal to governments, to ministries of health and other ministries, to the pharmaceutical industry and the business community that certain actions should now be undertaken with increased urgency, and at an accelerated pace,” Chan said.

WHO, the United Nations’ health authority, is continuing vigorous efforts to research the disease, Chan said.

“As I have said, we do not have all the answers right now, but we will get them,” she said.

President Barack Obama announced in a press conference Wednesday that he was asking Congress to delegate $1.5 billion in emergency funding to monitor the virus and provide antiviral drugs to states.

The government will ship enough of the anti-flu drugs Tamiflu and Relenza to the states to treat 11 million people by May 3, according to the Associated Press.

“Everyone should rest assured that this government is prepared to do whatever it takes to control the impact of this virus,” Obama said.