The influenza season has begun and is hitting the University community with a greater ferocity than in previous years. In the past few weeks, the number of reported cases of infection among students has surpassed the annual average for the University, said James Turner, executive director of Student Health.
The number of cases has increased from last year largely because of a shortage of vaccines available for distribution by the University. Vaccines were distributed last semester to a group of students who were considered to be at "high-risk."
"We are seeing an outbreak this year that will be the worst I've seen since the 12 years I've been here," Turner said.
The Student Health Center has been extremely busy, in the past few weeks treating the booming number of influenza infections.
"We probably set a record last Saturday morning in the health clinic," Turner said. "There were 32 cases alone Saturday morning."
The University's lack of vaccination doses was part of a nationwide shortage. Of the two major providers of the influenza vaccine, the Chiron Corporation and Aventis Pasteur, only one was able to provide influenza vaccines this year.
The vaccines produced by the Chiron Corporation for this year's flu season were deemed unusable by British authorities and the FDA because of health violations at the factory where the vaccines are produced.
The decision not to use the Chiron vaccines reduced the number of doses provided to the United States by approximately half.
When the Chiron Corporation was forced to back out, the Center for Disease Control worked with Aventis Pasteur Inc. to find out where the vaccines were needed most. The CDC then worked with different locales around the country to distribute vaccines to "high-risk" groups, such as young children, the elderly and those who suffer from chronic diseases, according to CDC Spokesperson Bonnie Hebert.
The University's annual influenza immunization clinic, usually offered Nov. 1, was cancelled so that the University could focus on giving vaccinations to students who fit into one of the CDC's pre-determined "high-risk" groups.
Within the University community 277 students qualified as "high-risk" and were administered immunizations.
"I feel pretty good that we covered that need fairly well," said Sandi Murray, director of Nursing at Student Health.
The Student Health Center commonly sees the most cases of influenza in the months after Winter Break. The college environment is ideal for the spread of the influenza infection because of the close proximity with which students live and study, Turner said.
This year's outbreak, however, stands out.
"I think that the disturbing thing is that it's impacting everyone so fast, and it's hard to keep up," Murray said.
The U.Va. Health Center recently has donated 200 more vaccines to the Student Health Center, so it will be able to hold a vaccine clinic later this week for any students who want to get a last-minute vaccination.
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