A third GW student has been diagnosed with a probable case of the H1N1 virus, also known as the swine flu, the University announced in an Infomail on Monday.
The student was moved to a private dorm room on campus to prevent the spread of the disease and is “recovering rapidly,” according to the Infomail sent to students, faculty and the GW community.
“As soon as the student received the initial diagnosis by the GW Hospital, we implemented our protocols, including moving the student to a private room in a residence hall to limit exposure to other students, informing those in close personal contact and providing them with information about symptoms, treatment and prevention,” the statement said. “The student is recovering rapidly following treatment.”
Last week, two female students were reported as the first probable cases of the swine flu in D.C. Their test results have not yet come back from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, but a statement from University President Steven Knapp over the weekend said the students were no longer contagious.
University spokeswoman Tracy Schario did not immediately return a request for comment Monday afternoon. Schario and University administrators declined to comment over the weekend on a number of matters regarding the University’s response to the probable swine flu cases, including the number of students moved to private rooms and where extra cleaning took place in residence halls and public spaces.
Dena Iverson, a spokeswoman for the D.C. Department of Health, said four cases have been sent to the CDC for further testing, including three students from GW and one student from Howard University. According to the Washington Post, the student at Howard University traveled to Mexico with her family in April. The student has recovered but is still isolated because her roommates had been relocated.
Iverson said she did not know the number of cases that had been sent to her office from GW Hospital or GW Student Health Services.
“We’ve gotten samples from all over the District of Columbia,” she said.
While the University emphasized in the Infomail that there have been no confirmed cases of swine flu at GW, a majority of the probable cases have been confirmed positive for N1H1 virus nationally, Iverson said. The Department of Health determines a probable case through a process of elimination testing system.
“H1N1 is a new strain, so we don’t have it in the system,” Iverson said. “If we recognize it, it’s a flu that we already have on file and isn’t H1N1.”
