Swine Flu in Russia Peoples' Friendship University

Students at the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia wear masks to help prevent spread of the swine flu virus. A number of students at the university have been diagnosed with the potentially deadly infection. Moscow, Russia. 20/10/2009.

The university has been quarintined in order to prevent the A/H1N1 virus from spreading further. The head doctor at the university clinic, Aleksander M. Hodorovich, says that so far there have been eight confirmed cases of swine flu amongst the students.

Several lectures and group sessions have been suspended following the outbreak. However, the majority of students continue to follow their usual university schedule.

Before going to PFUR, I decided to be safe and buy a protective facial mask, but there were no masks left in the neighbourhood pharmacies.

Students in the medical department say that dozens of patients are being admitted . In their opinion, this is only the beginning. Precautionary measures leave much to be desired. Only those classes which were attended by one of the known swine flu patients, have been cancelled. The governing body think that students from different faculties would not have been exposed to potential infection.The majority of the sick are foreign students, living in pairs or trios at the hostel. When one student is hospitalised, his roommates still attend university, despite the risk of transmitting the infection.
I found head doctor Aleksander M. Hodorovich standing in a queue at the university's dining hall. During dinner he tells me that students are not at risk. It is no more likely that they will catch the flu at university than in the metro or on a bus. His main argument is that he feels fine, has his meal among the students and does not even wear a medical protective facial mask. "If I thought there was a genuine risk, I would not be sitting here" - the head doctor says, finishing his dinner.