More than 100 college students in Boulder have been tested for the flu, with 49 confirmed cases and one student has been hospitalized.
University of Colorado officials have identified 49 “probable” cases of the swine flu, according to school officials.
As of today, 135 students have been tested for influenza A. Ill students, and students who have been tested for the flu, live both on and off campus.
The flu has hit the school early this year, and probably in higher numbers compared with average years, but the severity of the cases is not above average, said Bronson Hilliard, a university spokesman.
“The intensity is about normal,” he said. “It’s not catastrophic to the people who are getting it.”
Still, this year’s strain running through the university has spread rapidly.
“We are seeing a quick a transmission rate,” Hilliard said. “We have a lot of sick people; we are probably going to see more.”
The numbers released by the university today do not include students who sought medical attention elsewhere, outside the school’s health care system, and do not include students who didn’t seek treatment.
Boulder County Public Health is working with the university to keep track of suspected and confirmed cases of influenza A. Only state health officials can test for the swine flu, according to the university, and that happens only after someone has been hospitalized.
The school “is taking precautions based on the possibility that the influenza A cases may be H1N1,” or swine flu, the school said.
Based on guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the university “is not canceling any special events or classes” as it continues to monitor the situation.
The CU-Boulder H1N1 Flu Information website has posted information on how to prevent and manage influenza-like illness at .
The school’s Wardenburg Health Center also has recommendations on protecting against and treating influenza on its website at ./.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
