The number of individuals diagnosed with probable H1N1 at Gannett has slightly increased during the past two weeks, yet such statistics remain drastically lower than those during the peak of the illness at the beginning of the semester.

In recent weeks, the media has reported that various college football teams across the country have become afflicted with swine flu. Despite increased warnings about sanitizing hands and exhibiting proper hygiene, the H1N1 virus is still having an impact.

As swine flu rumors circulated across campus seemingly more quickly than the H1N1 virus itself, Cornell officials said yesterday that the University would remain open and there were no plans to cancel or modify classes unless the outbreak significantly worsens or a new strain of the flu emerges.

“We’re trying to be both reactive, as well as proactive on behalf of the institution,” Vice President for Student and Academic Services Susan Murphy ’74 said yesterday of the University's planning efforts.

Nonetheless, the past several weeks — during which time Gannett has diagnosed 623 cases of probable H1N1 flu and one student has died from H1N1 flu complications –– have proven to be a major test of Cornell's emergency management infrastructure and planning.

The Cortland County Health Department announced yesterday that they are waiting for lab results from two suspected cases of swine flu in Cortland, N.Y., and they are investigating a third unrelated case to see if it meets the criteria for swine flu.

According to Theresa Lyczko, director of Health Promotion Program at Tompkins County Health Department, no additional information was available yesterday.

The Central N.Y. Real-Time News reported that one of the possible cases involves a Cortland County resident who works in Madison County and got sick after a trip to Mexico.

Although there has been no reported case of swine flu at Cornell or in Tompkins County, members of the Cornell community should “be alert and cautious but not panic,” according to Sharon Dittman, associated director of community relations at Gannett Health Services.

As of yesterday, 45 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in at least five states in the United States, including New York. Because it is a new strain of influenza, people are unlikely to have natural immunity against the flu, which is passed from human to human, according to Gannett’s website.

Dittman said that symptoms of the swine flu are “basically identical” to those of seasonal flu, which include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.

The nation’s president has been a staunch proponent of contraceptive use, recently signing an appropriations bill calling for pharmaceutical companies to supply discounted contraceptives to college health clinics, Planned Parenthood offices and family-planning centers throughout the country.

“The recent passing of the affordable birth control legislation is a victory for millions of college students who have struggled to afford the rising costs of basic contraception in these difficult economic times,” stated Robin Gaige, director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes, in an e-mail.

The passage of the bill may also help to reduce the high numbers of unplanned pregnancies seen in the U.S.

Each year from the beginning of November through the end of April, millions of Americans are stricken by the influenza virus. According to the website of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “On average 5 percent to 20 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu; more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications, and about 36,000 people die from flu.” While a flu shot does not guarantee total protection from this scourge of the winter season, the CDC notes that the injection is up to 90 percent effective in warding off influenza in healthy people under age 65.

As America’s financial well-being continues to suffer from the economic recession, individuals likewise share the pain from the emotional repercussions that come with the stress of increased financial hardship.

Matt Boone, assistant director of Counseling and Psychological Services and coordinator of the “Let’s Talk” program at Gannett, said he has seen evidence that the finance crisis affecting the mental health of the Cornell community.

“I’ve seen from myself in my own practice and have heard from my colleagues that students are [more often] presenting issues of anxiety relating to the financial situation, whether it’s things going on in their own family … or whether they are worried for themselves about internships or future jobs,” Boone said.

For students who discover that their health is significantly impairing their ability to study, the Cornell University Health Leave of Absence Policy is an easy way to voluntarily separate oneself from the University. While it might be simple to leave Cornell, some students are finding out that returning to Cornell is much more difficult.

Voluntary Leave of Absence is a policy that addresses the needs of students who, for various reasons, feel that they have to interrupt their coursework for a period of time. A health leave of absence falls into this category, and while most of the Cornell colleges have their own method of dealing with voluntary leaves of absence, in the case of HLOAs, the colleges tend to defer their decisions to Gannett Health Services.

At Cornell we don’t take tests, we take preliminary exams, or prelims. While complaints run rampant about such evaluations, they are good preparation for the biggest one — the final. Unfortunately, in terms of sexual health at Cornell, preliminary exams are not as easily accessible.

“Last year, I thought it would be a good idea for my friends and I to get tested,” recalled one female junior, who chose to remain anonymous.

Sexual Health at Cornell