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Creighton University has created a shelter in anticipation of 20 or more dormitory residents coming down with the flu.
The university has experienced an uptick in sick students and decided to create the isolation area in the Harper Center, administrators said. No students were in the shelter as of Wednesday.
Creighton has isolation spots for up to 10 students in each of three campus dormitories, said Tanya Winegard, assistant vice president for student services. Students remain there until they're well.
But if those areas are filled, the university will need to use the shelter.
The shelter is in the FitNest, an area where students typically work out on treadmills and other cardio-exercise equipment in the Harper Center.
The equipment had been moved out and partitions moved in Wednesday. Cots will be placed in the area.
Debra Saure, director of Creighton health services, said 24 students have shown flu symptoms over the past week, and 11 of those tested positive through a nasal swab for influenza A. The university assumes those are H1N1 cases.
Creighton encourages flu-stricken students who can go home to their parents to do so.
If ill students can't do that, those who use community restrooms in dormitories should go to an isolation spot.
Dorm students who don't use community restrooms should isolate themselves in their own rooms and receive food and supplies from friends.
No shelters have been set up at the University of Nebraska at Omaha or the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, according to public relations representatives there. Ill students there continue to be asked to isolate themselves and have friends bring in food and homework.
Winegard said it's difficult to isolate large numbers of students in three Creighton dormitories because community restrooms are prevalent there.
She said that if the large shelter must be used, ill students will be expected to cooperate and go there.
They will remain there for several days — as long as it takes them to be fever-free for 24 hours without the assistance of fever-reducing medicine.
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