UF announced Wednesday it will track the spread of H1N1 swine flu by sending out 1,500 e-mails to students every week for the next 40 weeks.
The e-mails will be sent to a random list of students and will ask if they've experienced flu-like symptoms in the past week, said Phillip Barkley, director of UF's Student Health Care Center.
This graph tracks the number of suspected cases of the flu and flu-like illnesses seen by UF's Student Health Care Center since the beginning of July. Officials estimate about 99 percent of all cases of the flu are H1N1 swine flu. (Source: Student Health Care Center)
This graph tracks the number of suspected cases of the flu and flu-like illnesses seen by UF's Student Health Care Center since the beginning of July. Officials estimate about 99 percent of all cases of the flu are H1N1 swine flu.
Currently, about 99 percent of all campus flu cases are H1N1 swine flu, he said.
UF's infirmary has seen about 450 people with the flu or flu-like illnesses since the beginning of the fall semester. At Florida State University, there have been 595 cases of flu, and University of Central Florida has seen 72 cases of Type A flu, which includes swine flu.
UF officials have braced themselves for an infection rate of up to 25 to 40 percent of students, Barkley said, though they hope the vaccine - which should be available in mid-October - and other preventative measures can slow the flu's spread.
He said UF requested 45,000 doses of the vaccine, though it's not clear how many the university will receive.
"We're preparing for the fact that we may be doing a lot of vaccinating on our campus," he said.
UF encourages students with flu-like symptoms to stay home. Some auditoriums are being equipped with a system that allows students to record lectures.
Hand-sanitizer dispensers have been installed around campus, as well, and UF has set aside dorm rooms for healthy students to get away from sick roommates.
"What were hoping is that we can modify this disease," Barkley said.
