news-record.com

NEWS

Update: UNCG student tests negative for swine flu

Thursday, May 7, 2009
(Updated 10:16 pm)

GREENSBORO — Test results for a UNCG student who had been placed under quarantine at Moses Cone Hospital came back negative for the H1N1 virus late Thursday.

Following a campus-wide alert put out by Chancellor Linda Brady just after 5 p.m. Thursday alerting of a possible case of the swine flu with a female student, county health officials said just before 10 p.m. she had tested negative at a state lab.

Officials said the student went to Cone Hospital for treatment Thursday morning, and hospital officials immediately notified UNCG health officials about the possibility of the H1N1 virus, said Tresa Saxton, medical director of the UNCG Student Health Center.

Saxton could not say the symptoms the student was having, how long she had been sick or whether she had recently traveled.

“We immediately contacted the student’s close contacts and had them come to the health center, where they were treated appropriately,” Saxton said.

Saxton said two students were contacted and treated, but she would not elaborate on that treatment because of privacy issues.

The quarantined student lived alone in a single room on campus, Saxton said. It is unclear if she attended classes while ill.

The campus-wide alert was put out about the illness in an abundance of caution, which reminded students to seek treatment for any flu-like symptoms and to practice good hygiene.

“If students have particular concerns or begin to experience flu-like symptoms, they should contact the Student Health Services for an appointment to be examined,” Brady wrote.

“It is important that we all remain calm.

“This is a case of the flu (albeit a new strain) and universal precautions are all that are needed at this time. In other words, wash your hands frequently.”

As of Thursday afternoon, state health officials reported seven confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus; none were in Guilford County.

Nationwide, there have been 896 H1N1 cases among 41 states, with two confirmed deaths from the strain, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals@news-record.com

 

Accompanying Photos

File photo (News & Record)

Comments

This article has been closed to new comments. Comments are generally closed after 14 days. However, comments may be closed earlier at the discretion of the News & Record.

Inappropriate content? Please report abuse.

abcde

May 7, 2009 - 8:40 pm EDT

What difference does it make what we think? This is a pretty objective situation. Why does "what I think" matter in this regard? This is pure sensationalism on the part of the News-Record. Stop it...

mokey87

May 7, 2009 - 9:23 pm EDT

....

CherylP25

May 8, 2009 - 6:59 am EDT

abcde...
that button, to post a comment, is on all N&R articles on the site. It's standard. Aren't you glad you could submit you opinion that no opinion was needed? Have a good (and swine flu free) day!

snapandwhistle

May 8, 2009 - 9:14 am EDT

Oh, what great relief that the student who has not been to Mexico, Texas, or anywhere else doesn't have swine flu! Give me a break people. Who in their right mind would even say that this was a "suspected" case when the student has been holed up in her dorm for a week studying for exams. This was just one big over reaction (and maybe a search for attention) by the doctor at the hospital.

Ryan Seals

May 8, 2009 - 11:40 am EDT

No one said if she had traveled or not. She lives alone in a single dorm room - that doesn't mean she hadn't been out in the world while this was going on. Just trying to clarify that - though none of this really matters at this point.

snapandwhistle

May 8, 2009 - 11:02 pm EDT

The TV news interviewed the Doctor at the hospital and he said that they knew from the beginning that she hadn't traveled anywhere! It doesn't matter now but it will the next time some doctor goes off half-cocked and potentially starts a panic on one of the campuses.

eMail Updates

Advertisement | Advertise with Us

Featured Ads

Search

Advertisement | Advertise with Us
Advertisement | Advertise with Us
Advertisement | Advertise with Us

News & Record Network Sites

User Tools

  • Social Networking
  • RSS
  • Share
  • Sign in to MyNR

Search