By Jeff Hamlin
Assistant News Director

UNC students will head back to campus soon. With their return, the risk of H-1-N-1 virus will increase.

Doctor David Weber, a physician at UNC Hospitals, expects the amount of cases to go up.  

Even before the academic year has started, there’s already been several cases of the virus spreading across college campuses in North Carolina. Duke football coach David Cutcliffe says several of his players have been quarantined because of H-1-N-1. Another football player at Mars Hill College in Asheville has been diagnosed with symptoms of swine flu. Nothing has been reported at UNC yet.

The hospitalization and death rate of H-1-N-1 has gone in a similar rate as the regular seasonal flu. At UNC Hospitals, officials have seen cases each week. But the transmission has decreased this summer in part because school isn’t in session. However, as winter approaches, Doctor Weber expects to see larger number of cases since families will be staying at home more and students return to classroom.

He recommends several steps for staying safe from H-1-N-1.
 
In addition, the seasonal flu vaccines should become available by the end of the month. A Novel H-1-N-1 vaccine will likely be released in October.