Syracuse University Health Services has diagnosed 411 H1N1 cases since Aug. 31, said Carol Masiclat, a Health Services spokeswoman.

The patients tested positive under the rapid flu test and each had symptoms consistent with influenza. Over the past months, the only likely strain of flu present was swine flu, Masiclat said.

A large majority of the cases have come since September. On Sept. 23, Health Services had only diagnosed six cases of swine flu, according to an article by The Daily Orange.

The length and severity of the cases have varied. Some students were sick only for a few days, while others were ill for a week, Masiclat said. Swine flu’s average incubation period is one to four days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Web site.

SU could have experienced more swine flu cases than 411, because not every sick student, faculty or staff member came into Health Services to be diagnosed, Masiclat said.

Health Services received 200 swine flu vaccines Friday, and the shipment of vaccines is intended for Health Services employees and individuals who work with children. SU hopes to receive additional shipments in the coming weeks but does not have a definite date of when that shipment will arrive.

Health Services expects the swine flu vaccine will be in high demand, given the high interest students showed in the seasonal flu vaccine.

November marks the beginning of the seasonal flu season. Last year, Health Services diagnosed its first seasonal flu case Nov. 8, Masiclat said.

The number of flu cases could increase in the coming weeks because of the start of seasonal flu season, Masiclat said. But Health Services will struggle to differentiate between seasonal and swine flu because it only administers the rapid flu test, which checks for the presence of any kind of influenza. In order to confirm that a person has swine flu, a state lab must do additional testing.

‘Going into the fall, it’s going to be hard to tell whether it’s seasonal or swine flu,’ Masiclat said.

– Asst. Copy Editor Rebecca Kheel contributed reporting to this article.

adbrow03@syr.edu

Published on November 10, 2009 at 12:00 pm