Four UND students have tested positive for the H1N1 flu strain, media relations coordinator Peter Johnson said.
Michelle Eslinger, director of the university's Student Health Services, said the students were treated at the facility, and blood samples were sent for further testing to the North Dakota Department of Health. None of the students had serious cases of the new flu strain or required hospitalization, she said.
If they required antiviral medication, they were given it in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, officials said.
Eslinger said the center has tested seven people at UND since Sept. 8. Blood samples are first tested for the seasonal flu, and if that comes back negative, further analysis is conducted to test for the new strain.
Health care providers have also had 10 to 15 walk-ins each day this school year with students who are concerned they may have the flu. "We're seeing a lot of people," she said.
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The state health department issued new guidelines Sept. 8 that limit how many people are tested for the strain. Patients now must have a fever of over 100 degrees and a cough or sore throat in order to be tested, she said.
All four students were tested before the new guidelines were implemented.
Johnson said an e-mail sent to students and staff Monday isn't meant to scare university members. "It's more of a point of information that we know that there are people that are kind of wondering what's happening," he said. "We want to make sure that people take precautions and know that it's here in Grand Forks and it's here at UND."
Reach Johnson at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send e-mail to rjohnson@gfherald.com .
