After initially refusing to say how many expected cases of swine flu are here at Pitt, officials… After initially refusing to say how many expected cases of swine flu are here at Pitt, officials revealed information about suspected cases in both students and staff members yesterday afternoon.

During the first 14 days that the virus was known to be on campus, 142 students and two staff members reported that they had an “influenza-like illness,” the most specific diagnosis one can receive without a lab test to confirm that the illness is, in fact, the H1N1 virus.

During the second two-week period — which just ended — about 50 people on any given day had an influenza-like illness at Pitt.

On average, known cases at Pitt saw symptoms last an average of 2.7 days, and most people said they were symptom-free within five.

The statistics were revealed by Jay Frerotte, the director of Pitt’s Department of Health and Safety, in a letter to the editor yesterday. Visit the link at the bottom of this article to see the full letter.

The letter to the editor came four days after a Pitt News editorial condemned Pitt for withholding the statistics. Frerotte declined to reveal swine flu statistics last week, saying, “We don’t want to get into the numbers game. There are active cases on campus, but there is no cause for panic.”

Allegheny County Health Department spokesman Dave Zazac said yesterday that while many institutions are opting to report their figure of suspected swine flu cases, the health community is focusing less on head counts this year.

“The bottom line is we want to tell you where the flu is, not where it’s been,” he said.

Instead, Zazac said looking for spikes in reported influenza-like illnesses is a better indicator.

“We all wish the number was zero,” Frerotte said, “but in a global pandemic, zero is not a feasible expectation.”

The full letter to the editor:

https://www.pittnews.com/node/19933

The editorial condemning Pitt for withholding the statistics:

https://www.pittnews.com/node/19881