WHEELING, WV, Sept. 19, 2009 - A case of the 2009 H1N1 flu (swine flu) was confirmed in a member of the Wheeling Jesuit community by Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department late Friday. Symptoms were suspected earlier this week and isolation procedures were followed.

"The goal is to isolate the virus and to limit the spread in the campus community. The university will diligently monitor the campus over the weekend, continue to follow established procedure, and provide public updates on the Web site accordingly,"� said university spokesperson Christine Ohl-Gigliotti, dean of student development.

"We have been preparing for the inevitable onset of flu season and the likely arrival of the H1N1 virus for several weeks now. We have a pandemic flu team in place and are ready to care for our students and employees,"� she said. "We will continue to update our Web site with information (www.wju.edu) and we urge students who feel sick to make use of the "iamsick@wju.edu" e-mail address to report symptoms without having to leave their rooms. Students with fever and flu-like symptoms will be evaluated by a nurse and asked to either leave campus to recover at home or to move temporarily into designated "sick rooms" on campus; either course of action will allow students to receive the best care while minimizing the spread of the infection."

"This is what's been suggested by universities that already experienced outbreaks and we're fortunate in that we can follow their advice. Our residence life team is already in action and will help sick students get meals delivered to them so that they can rest, recover within a few days, and eventually resume normal activities without exposing others."

"We want to keep the parents of our students informed," said Davitt McAteer, interim president of the university. "Letters were sent to families this week indicating our plan for dealing with this pandemic and asking for their assistance in encouraging students sick with the flu to recover at home whenever possible."�

At this time, the university has no plans to limit visitors to campus or to disrupt classes or planned activities. For now, the university is urging members of the campus community to be aggressive in their vigilance of hygienic practices and to self-isolate at the first sign of flu symptoms.

University officials are also working closely with the county and state health officials and have been monitoring updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The widely discussed 2009 H1N1 vaccinations will be made available on campus per Ohio County Health Departments guidelines and protocol.

Students experiencing flu-like symptoms (signs include: fever of 100.5 or higher, body aches and chills, cough, congestion, sudden onset of illness, and exposure to someone who recently had the flu) are being asked to maintain their distance from other individuals and to immediately report their symptoms by contacting the Wheeling Jesuit Health Center at 304-243-2275, reporting to their residence life staff, or using the "iamsick@wju.edu" e-mail contact.