From news reports: The Henan Department of Health has refused to reveal the cause of a flu-like outbreak that has infected 400 students at a university in the province.
Students at Henan University of Science and Technology, in Luoyang city, started to become ill on March 26, 2006, many needing hospital treatment, as many as 400 according to state media.
— Henan Health Department Spokeswoman
The Henan Department of Health said laboratory tests showed the infection
is not type A or type B influenza. When asked why so many students contracted the disease at the same time, vice director of the disease control and prevention division of the Henan Department of Health, Shan Xinguo, declined to give details. He said, “What I can say is the infection is now under control, and we can’t give any further information.”
Shan Xinguo said the students had contracted upper respiratory tract infections. He said, “It’s normal for students to have upper respiratory tract infections, especially in spring. And at colleges, students are concentrated, so it’s easy for many students to become infected with the disease at the same period of time.”
Another official from the Henan Department of Health, who declined to be named, said the situation is now under control, and the fever — some students having fever as high as 103.2 F — was starting to pass.
“The reason why so many students developed fever continuously still remains unclear,” she said. “We are still investigating the matter, but we are sure the students are not victims of an epidemic influenza infection.” She said the main symptoms of the sick students were fever and joint pains and that most recovered one or two days after medial treatment.
Shan Xinguo said the ill students had been quarantined and treated. Over 2000 dormitories as well as 130 classrooms are now being sanitized twice a day. As of 2 Apr 2006, 10 students were still in hospital for clinical observation.
