University of Virginia Library

Flu Epidemic Closes 3 Schools

By Jay Steer
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Outbreaks of flu-like illnesses
throughout the state have resulted
in the closing of several women's
colleges, including Hollins College
and Randolph-Macon, it was
reported yesterday.

Randolph-Macon Women's
College in Lynchburg, Virginia
closed its doors at 12:30 yesterday
afternoon, a spokesman for the
college said yesterday. The school
was scheduled to close on Tuesday,
December 17.

The infirmary and dormitories
will be open at Randolph-Macon as
long as necessary. Sick students will
be free to go home as soon as it is
designated that they are well
enough to leave. The decision to
close was made by the school
physician after it was decided that
the situation was too chaotic to
keep everyone in school, it was
reported yesterday.

Hollins College in Roanoke, Va.
and Lynchburg College in
Lynchburg closed Wednesday
because of the epidemic
proportions that the flue had
attained.

The outbreak at Hollins began a
week ago Wednesday and rapidly
increased to epidemic proportions,
resulting in Wednesday's decision to
send the more than 900 students
home early for Christmas. The
college had been originally
scheduled to recess on Thursday,
December 19.

"It's not fair to the students to
go on like this," said Dr. John
Logan, President of Hollins College,
yesterday in announcing the
decision to close early. The school
reportedly has experienced about
200 cases within the last week.

Dr. J. C. Zillhardt, resident
physician at Hollins College, said to
the Richmond Times-Dispatch
Wednesday that the illness
experienced there produced
symptoms identical with those
experienced in Hong Kong flue
outbreaks elsewhere in the country.

At Lynchburg College in nearby
Lynchburg, Dr. John Turner, dean
of Lynchburg and vice president for
academic affairs, said that the
dormitories, cafeteria and health
center would remain open for those
who are ill and to accommodate
those who have not been able to
obtain immediate travel
arrangements.

At several other colleges
throughout the state the incidence
of flue outbreaks have not been as
frequent, although some schools
report that there has been as much
as a 50 increase in the number of
sick calls.

A spokesman at Mary Baldwin
College in Staunton, Virginia
reported yesterday that that school
was not planning to close down,
although there have been many
cases of flue reported. The flu there
has not been diagnosed as the Hong
Kong strain, and there have been no
known cases in Staunton, it was
reported by the Staunton Health
Department yesterday.

Dr. Camp of Student Health at
the University said yesterday that
"numerically there hasn't been that
much of the flu going around. If we
had the percentage of say Hollins,
we'd have 2,000 people coming in
here sick.

"For one thing, students at the
University are more widely
dispersed than at some of the
women's colleges across the state.
We've seen some flu, and we may
see more, but nothing here
indicates that we will close down,"
Dr. Camp said.

At this point, the identity of the
"bug" responsible for the many
flu-like outbreaks has not been
confirmed in the laboratory, but
medical authorities suspect it may
be the Hong Kong flu virus, which
is hitting other areas of the East
Coast.

The illness is caused by a strain
of the A-2, or Asian, flu virus, and
was expected to cause widespread
outbreaks of influenza in this
country this winter.