Twenty Six HSU students are hoping to get the green light from the university for an extended education trip to Oaxaca, Mexico. The recent outbreak of the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, has the status of the annual summer program up in the air.
Study Abroad Adviser Penelope Shaw expressed concern over what she termed “a delicate issue”.
“Right now we are working to gather the latest information to determine if it is safe enough to go,” she said. “The safety of the students involved is our primary concern.”
Last week a group including representatives from the Humboldt State Emergency Management Team, the Department of World Languages and Cultures, and the Student Health Center met to discuss the impact the flu could have on the trip.
This Friday they will come together for a second time to make a final decision.
Jenine Prus has spent the last five months in Oaxaca on a bi-lateral exchange program.
She first arrived in Oaxaca a year ago as part of the 10-week summer immersion program offered through the World Languages and Cultures Department.
“I loved it so much that I had to come back,” she said. Despite the recent outbreak of the swine flu, the graduating senior is not afraid to return home to Michigan this week.
“I am pretty skeptical of a lot of the attention that people are giving this virus,” said the International Studies and Globalization major. “I am not worried about going home and I have every intention of keeping my travel plans.”
Many people have cancelled their plans in the wake of rising fear over the flu. The result is drastically lower airline fares around the globe, an opportunity that Prus made sure to take advantage of to see her family. “When I bought my ticket online the price was literally half what it was a month ago,” she said.
Shaw says that the immersion program is one of the most popular trips offered. Students who attend will get to live with a host family, helping out with community projects while learning advanced Spanish. But students hoping to make the same trip Prus did are not sure if their summer dreams will become a reality. The program, which is held at Benito Juarez University, includes a full slate of units with both field experience courses as well as advanced Spanish classes.
All public and private schools from preschool through graduate school have been closed, with university and preparatory students set to return to class tomorrow. The Mexican government has taken an aggressive stance to limit the spread of the virus, closing down all restaurants, museums, churches, and libraries.
“Some people are taking this very seriously, going to work everyday with a mask on,” said Prus. “But then you have the people who think it’s just a big conspiracy theory for the government to distract us.”
Prus said that people tend to have a skeptical view of the government. “There is a saying that if the government tells you not to worry, you should worry,” she said. “And vice versa.”
HSU staff and faculty have been monitoring public websites such as the World Health Organization and Center for Disease Control for up to date information. The University has also been in contact with the American Council and colleagues in Oaxaca for daily updates.
One concern is the students who are slated to travel through Mexico City before reaching Oaxaca, which is about a five-hour drive away. “Here in Oaxaca we haven’t really seen a whole lot of physical evidence of this,” said Prus. “But I wouldn’t travel to Mexico City right now if my life depended on it.”
The epicenter of the outbreak is believed to be Mexico City. With a population of over 22 million, the greater Mexico City area it is the largest metropolitan area in the Western Hemisphere. Prus pointed to the health aspects that loom large in a city where hygiene is always an issue.
The attack-rate, or the success of the virus in infecting those who come in contact with it, is similar to the regular flu. About one in four people who are exposed to H1N1 will come down with symptoms, which include an incubation period of about one week when the virus can be spread to others.
Since the group is not traveling together, each student has to arrange their own travel plans. While the University is obligated to reimburse students for the fees related to the program, other aspects like the plane ticket will be lost if the students are not allowed to go.
Steve Moore is a supervising health nurse with the Humboldt County Department of Health. He is concerned at the possibility of the H1N1 virus reaching rural Humboldt County.
“As of this point we have not had any confirmed cases,” he said. “But that does not mean that it isn’t here yet - I wouldn’t be surprised if some evidence of it did come up before this is all over.”
What makes the H1N1 virus distinct from the typical flu is that it is a “novel strain,” or one that has not been seen in humans before. Since the recent outbreak of the virus coincided with the tail end of the regular flu season, diagnosing patients is becoming increasingly difficult.
Local doctors and hospitals are working together with the health department to sample all patients who fit the following criteria: have a fever over 100 degrees, a severe cough/sore throat and, most importantly, have traveled to Mexico within the past seven days.
“At this point it is the unknown that has people worried about Swine Flu,” said Moore. “Hopefully we can get a better idea of what the virus has in store for us in the coming weeks.”
In the mean-time students continue to wait for the green light to head down to Oaxaca, hoping to get the same opportunity that Prus had.
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