More than 150 UI students, and perhaps as many as 200, might have exhibited symptoms similar to those of the H1N1-flu virus in the past week.

That estimate — based on the number of patients at UI Student Health Service — is unofficial, because the university has suspended testing for the virus, said Ann Laros, the Student Health interim medical director.

Because flu season has yet to begin, officials are assuming all people with flu-like symptoms have the H1N1 virus.

UI freshman Jacob Fredlund is one of the students suspected of being infected. After waking up with a fever and cough Sept. 4, he visited Student Health, where employees told him they couldn’t test him for the H1N1 virus.

“At first, I thought it was OK,” he said. “But by the time school started back up after the weekend, I worried that I would miss class.”

Fredlund mainly stayed in his room in Daum Residence Hall and said he wore a protective mask over his face when he ventured out. He returned to class on Thursday.

Despite the tumult of so-called “outbreaks” of the flu at other universities, UI officials are trying to stay calm while protecting students, faculty, and staff.

“We’re pretty well covered,” said Dan Fick, a UI clinical professor of family practice. “We have representatives from all over the university looking at what needs to be done.”

In a Sept. 2 universitywide e-mail, he informed students of general influenza precautions: get vaccinated, avoid going out in public when ill, cover your cough or sneeze with an arm, and wash hands frequently, among other items.

The e-mail also outlined the required modification of the UI’s absence policy.

Students will no longer be penalized for flu-related absences, said Susan Johnson, the UI associate provost for faculty. Instead, they will simply fill out a flu information form on the university’s website and return it to their instructor.

The Provost’s Office is in the process of planning a message for deans, which will outline necessary procedures for staff and faculty sickness, Johnson said.

She’s not worried about students abusing the new absence policy.

“If students choose not to go to class, they’ll put their grades in jeopardy,” she said. “I don’t think it’s in the students’ best interest.”

Sick students can go online and request university employees to bring meals to their dorms, Fick said. Officials are recommending that students not go home, and, at present, they are not moving students to a specific location if they become sick.

The UI Critical Incident Management Committee released a 458-page Pandemic Influenza Response Plan in May detailing procedures after an outbreak.

Since the plan’s release, the UI has worked with the UI Hospitals and Clinics to “ramp up” the annual seasonal-flu campaign.

Fick said the UIHC doesn’t hire new staff during an event such as a pandemic, but it would reconfigure current staff.

UIHC officials announced last week they will require immunization of all hospital employees, though a local union representing nurses has filed an injunction to block the mandate.

The UI College of Nursing is also requiring nursing students participating in clinics either this fall or spring to be immunized. This is the first time either group has been required to get the shots.

“The idea of H1N1 really raised the consciousness about all flu [strains],” said Kathy Hanson, the associate dean for academic affairs in the UI nursing school.

Ally Kros, a UI senior and nursing student, said the school’s move makes sense.

“Any students in medical colleges should have flu shots,” she said.

Many students are questioning the arrival of an H1N1 vaccine. Officials say a limited stock of the vaccine will be available in Iowa in mid-October and will be administered to “high-risk groups.” A vaccine for widespread use likely won’t be available until weeks after that.

While H1N1 has many UI students worried, outbreaks at other universities have been more serious.

At Washington State University, upwards of 2,500 students have suspected cases. At one point, Kansas University had more than 300 cases, and Luther College, in Decorah, Iowa, has reported 38, including one staff member.

Jerry Johnson, the director of public information at Luther, said officials there have encouraged sick students who live within 200 miles of the college to go home.

Luther’s plan was created two and a half years ago. So far, Johnson said, the plan has worked.

“This outbreak is a test of the plan,” he said. “It’s not a very severe test, but it is a test.”

The plan includes an information technology system that allows students to report their symptoms and receive feedback, preventing a flood of patients to student health.

Washington State spent a year developing its influenza pandemic plan.

“It’s not as draconian as we’ve expected,” said Chris Tapfer, the school’s emergency-management coordinator. “Universities should not get too shook up. However, they should prepare for a large number of cases and for the virus to move quickly.”

Iowa State University has also taken action to prepare for the H1N1 virus. David Inyang, the director of ISU Environmental Health and Safety, said the efforts are centered on prevention.

At the UI, Fick said he also wants to make sure students are fully aware of the specifics of the H1N1 virus.

“Students are getting better,” Fick said about H1N1 cases elsewhere. “Hospitalization as a result of the virus is very rare. It’s just particularly contagious.”

It’s important to realize H1N1 is still an example of Type A influenza, he said, and thus, it can be treated in a similar fashion as the seasonal flu.

The Johnson County Department of Public Health has implemented its own measures to prepare for a flu outbreak.

“We have to take a reasonable approach,” said Doug Beardsley, the director of public health. “It is a new virus, so we’re kind of concerned, but most of those who get [the virus] won’t even require medical attention.”

He iterated it’s not a time to panic.

“People must be first aware, and second, willing to change their behavior in order to stay healthy,” he said.

The county is focused on taking care of the highest risk groups and informing families, he said.

But Fick said students have not paid significant attention to the e-mails and notifications published by the UI because cases have not been very publicized.