Students and faculty gathered Tuesday afternoon in Collis Commonground to hear infectious disease specialist Dr. Kathryn Kirkland of the Dartmouth Medical School discuss the possibility of pandemic flu outbreaks.
In her lecture, titled "What if the Chicken Crosses the Road? Are We Ready for Pandemic Influenza?", Kirkland said that preparation for avian flu outbreak is important, although the odds of humans contracting the virus are very small. Once contracted by humans, though, the virus can be extremely dangerous.
"[The] WHO [World Health Organization] describes the pathogen as sloppy, capricious and promiscuous," Kirkland said.
Avian flu, the H5N1 strain of the influenza virus, is spread through contact with excretions or secretions from infected birds. According to Kirkland, the virus is usually transferred to humans from birds that originated in Southeast Asia.
While bird flu remains a remote threat to global health, human flu is typically prevalent during the winter season.
Explaining the severity of the virus, Kirkland asserted that if vaccinations against human flu did not exist, in 2005, 83 million Americans would have contracted influenza and 1.9 million would have died. Worldwide, flu would have infected 1.3 billion people and killed 200 million.
Although vaccines have kept the flu from reaching such pandemic levels, Director of College Health Services Dr. John Turco said he recommends that students stay vigilant about their health this season.
"If enough people get sick, it can disrupt the function of the College," Turco said.
Dick's House has had fewer visitors this season compared to last year, Turco said. During the end of Fall term, Dick's House formed vaccine clinics to immunize students for the upcoming flu season. A small quantity of free vaccines is still available by appointment at Dick's House.
"It takes a few weeks for the body to develop the antibodies needed to combat the flu, which is why we offer it in the fall," Turco said.
Turco said he recommends students to wash their hands, use face coverings and wear warm clothes to lessen their chances of catching the flu.
For students who are already sick, Turco recommends purchasing symptom-specific over-the-counter medications, paying attention to ingredients rather than brand names.
"A lot of these medications you're paying for are just because of the brand, a generic version is just as good," Turco said.
