PAGE 6 // WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2009
NEWS
THE PENDULUM
University expects to
vaccinate student body
by end of November
Neel Arora
Reporter
The long-awaited HlNl flu
vaccine will hit the market this
week, and university officials
expect to have enough stock
available to immunize the entire
student population by the end
of November.
A schedule has not been
made for administering the
HlNl vaccine to students,
staff and faculty, as it has
not been portioned out to the
state, which is responsible
for its distribution, said Jana
Lynn Patterson, assistant vice
president for student life.
“As it comes in, we will give it
to everyone,” said Kitty Parrish,
director of health services.
The initial batch of 6 to 7
million vaccines will be made
available nationwide with the
intent to vaccinate Americans
most susceptible to the virus.
This group includes pregnant
women, Infants, health care
professionals and chronically ill
people, Parrish said.
Individuals age 26 and
younger are at the most risk,
while people older than 52 are
less at-risk because they have
some amount of immunity to
the strain.
The university will judge
those most at-risk through the
medical records maintained by
Health Services.
By mid-October, about 40
million doses will be available in
the country, with an additional
10-20 million more each week,
according to federal officials.
The first batch will be
unsuitable for a large portion
of the population, as it will be
in the form of a nasal spray
containing a live culture. Later
batches of the vaccines will be
composed of a dead sample in
injection form.
People with allergies, asthma
and other preexisting conditions
will not be able to take the first
batch of the vaccine. Only those
between the ages of 2 and 49 will
be able to take it. Individuals
living with someone suffering
from major health disorders
will not be eligible.
So far, there have been
three confirmed cases of
HlNl reported to Elon’s Health
Services and 11 cases of the
common seasonal flu, none of
which have been life-threatening
or required hospitalization,
Patterson said.
There might be an additional
number of students that showed
symptoms, but either went home
or did not report them to Health
Services, Patterson said.
Senior Martin Burke said
he had both swine flu and
pneumonia at the same time
during the summer.
He was with around 15 other
people who had confirmed cases
of HlNl and pneumonia. They
were all together in a confined
space.
“1 woke up one morning
feeling terrible,” he said. “I was
really tired. 1 had cold chills,
nausea, fatigue, cough and
congestion.”
Burke has never taken a flu
shot before and said he is still
indifferent to the availability of
either vaccine.
Through the months of
August and September, Health
Services has seen about 1,700
patients with 167, about 10
percent, showing mild flu-like
symptoms like a cough, cold or
sore throat.
“The numbers have been
a little higher than we would
normally see," Patterson said.
“We don’t know if we have hit
the peak yet."
PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS
A registered nurse administers the flu vaccine to a patient. Seasonal flu
shots will be offered on campus at the end of this month.
Elon usually does not have
any flu cases this early in the
year, and university officials do
not begin reporting cases to the
Center for Disease Control until
the first week of October.
About 500 people have died
from the HlNl virus in the
United States, and more than
35,000 cases have been reported
nationwide.
“We really encourage
students to take the seasonal flu
vaccine and the HlNl vaccine
when they become available,”
Patterson said.
Seasonal flu vaccines will be
available in Moseley Oct. 26-30.
Until the vaccines are made
available, health services and
the GDC recommend students
take certain precautions: wash
hands frequently, cough into the
sleeve, wipe down public spaces
and avoid sharing drinks with
others.
Health services urges
students who are showing flu
like symptoms to report them
immediately.
The HlNl virus is highly
curable and usually takes a
patient about a week to 10 days
to recover. Symptoms are similar
to those of the seasonal flu.
Study shows running
no longer considered
dangerous arthritis risk
Nearby county targets STDs
with Walmart gift cards
Samantha King
Assistant News Editor
For years, medical experts
have thought running, along
with other forms of strenuous
exercise, can have negative
affects on bones and joints,
often citing it as a cause of
arthritis. But recent studies by
the Stanford School of Medicine
disagree.
Arthritis is a long
term disease that leads to
inflammation of the joints and
surrounding tissues, causing
joint pain and discomfort.
While the sources of arthritis
are currently unknown, studies
suggest running is not only non
detrimental to one’s health, but
also may actually be beneficial.
Elon Associate Athletic
Trainer Martin Baker said he
agrees.
“With the anecdotal rigors
of (athletic) competition, you
would think that it would cause
severe joint damage," he said.
“W'e just don’t see that.”
Because college athleticism
can be intense and extremely
vigorous for the body, a study
on athletes as they age versus
the rest of the population may
be beneficial for continual
research. Baker said. While
Elon does not follow its athletes
after they graduate. Baker said
it would be a good study to
conduct.
“We don’t follow them beyond
22 years of age,” Baker said. “It
would be interesting to survey
them at 40 to see if they have
a higher percentage of joint
damage than the rest of the
population."
But because Elon University
students are initially from all
across the country, tracking
them down once they leave
would be feasibly impossible.
Baker said.
According to a recent article
by NPR, every time a runner
strikes the ground, they are
applying eight times their
normal body weight.
“With this in mind, it makes
sense that it would cause the
joint to prematurely age,” Baker
said. “They were surprised, to
say the least, at their findings."
The study by Stanford found
in addition to having no arthritis
link, those who run have longer
life spans and lower risks of
disabilities when they get older.
Baker said the best way to
avoid bone and joint risks, if
you do not run regularly, is
simply to take advantage of
Elon’s resources.
“Walk instead of taking
the BioBus," Baker said. “Take
advantage of the fitness center.
The benefits of walking and
running are pretty much
the same. They all work at
strengthening the muscles
around the joints.”
The joint is made up of three
components: the skeletal makeup
of the joint, the ligaments and
the muscles around the joints.
According to Baker, the more
build up of the muscles around
the joints, the more support the
joints have and the stronger
they are.
Although Baker is an advocate
of exercise to decrease the
risk of arthritis, he warns that
starting a regiment too quickly
could be more damaging than
helpful.
“Most people get into trouble
by doing too much too quick,”
Baker said.
One should start gradually
and make practical goals. A new
runner should not expect to
suddenly run a 5K, but should
gradually work toward it during
a three to four week time period.
Baker said.
Cyntra Brown
Reporter
Forsyth County’s Department of Health
in Winston-Salem has been bringing health
care door-to-door by providing Wal-Mart gift
cards to promote syphilis testing.
Prevent Ongoing Spread of STDs
Everywhere is a group that serves those who
are not able to seek facilities for medical
attention. Patrice Toney, a member of POSSE,
is the HIV and STD prevention supervisor
for Forsyth County's Department of Public
Health.
Forsyth County is ranked No. 1 in the state
for the highest population of people with
the venereal disease. Toney was involved in
the effort, which used gift cards as rewards
for those who volunteered to be tested for
syphilis and HIV. She said she thinks the gift
cards are a way of rewarding the community
for healthy behavior rather than a form of
bribery.
“It’s just an added bonus," Toney said.
The effort was made at the end of August
to do extensive screening in Forsyth County.
The county needed more people and help, so
POSSE was paired with the Rapid Intervention
Outreach Team, allowing it to cover a larger
area in a smaller amount of time. Both teams
tested a combined total of 603 people in nine
hours.
The teams of three included an interviewer,
counselor and phlebotomist, a doctor who
specializes in blood work. There was an initial
briefing to ensure all 125 volunteers were
equipped with the materials they needed.
A counselor supplied each tested person
with information while the phlebotomist
drew their blood, and the interviewer
recorded demographic information. Toney
said the process took about 10-15 minutes
each.
“It’s extremely successful anytime we can
reach that amount of people,” she said.
The organization has used incentives
before and doesn’t see a problem with
continuing the trend. It has used cookouts
at local churches, ice cream trucks and free
haircuts to encourage the community to take
responsibility.
Toney said people really want to know
if they have any diseases, so they are glad
POSSE cares and comes to them when they
can’t get to a facility.
It’s all about “whatever we can (do to) be
creative and help out,” Toney said. “People are
really grateful and driven by the incentive."
C. Timothy Monroe, director of Forsyth
County’s Department of Public Health, said
unemployed people and those living in
poverty are more likely to engage in sexually
risky behavior.
Both Toney and Elon’s medical director,
Kitty Parish, said they are not sure economic
status has anything to do with contracting
diseases.
“You can’t pinpoint exactly why,” Toney
said. “You can only assume people take more
risks in hard times."
Jim Hawkins, an Elon university physician,
said sex has been increasing since the late
1960s because of birth control pills.
Hawkins said he thinks using gift cards is
a great tool to educate the community.
"I think any incentive is wonderful,” he
said.
Hawkins said anyone who is sexually
active should get tested for HIV and STDs.
More partners makes the probability of
contracting a STD more likely.
“We’ve all heard the saying that you’ve
slept with however many partners your
partner has had,” Hawkins said.
Health Services performs tests for HIV
and many common STDs. It also provides
antibiotics for other diseases.
Hawkins encourages students to go to
www.ashastd.org for more information about
preventing STDs and how to practice safe
sex.
Hawkins and the rest of the Health
Services staff offer many programs to raise
awareness about STDs. They’ve reached out
to health classes, fraternities, sororities and
various other organizations on campus.
“Syphilis has been on the rise for a while,”
Hawkins said.
Health Services wants students to be
informed, and there are many different ways
to spread the word.
At Elon, the most prevalent STD is HPV.
Herpes is the second most common STD,
and chlamydia is the third. Syphilis cases
on campus are rare, and Hawkins said if
students do have the disease, it’s usually
from off-campus sources.
“The best way to prevent it,” Hawkins said,
“is to be in a monogamous relationship and
use a condom.”