The University Health Center has identified 12 cases of influenza-like illness on campus as of Friday, Director of the Brandeis Health Center Dr. Debra Poaster said, as universities across the country take precautions against the spread of H1N1 flu. "There are no confirmed cases of swine flu," Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer said in an interview with the Justice.

Poaster explained that "there's usually not a lot of influenza in September, so if we see influenza-like illness, we assume that it's H1N1."

Poaster added all the cases have been mild, with patients exhibiting low-grade fever, body aches, sore throats and some coughing.

Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer explained that the test for H1N1 takes two weeks. He added that there is a faster test, which is often highly unreliable with many false negatives.

For those reasons, Poaster explained, the University decided not to do any testing. She added that Massachusetts' current policy is not to test for the illness in most cases.

The Center for Disease Control has noted that the greatest number of H1N1 cases have been among people five to 24 years old.

In an e-mail to the student body Sept. 4, Sawyer outlined the campus response plan in the event of a large outbreak of flu.

The e-mail suggested that students who can go home should do so and that, depending on students' living situations, the University would arrange for students to stay in their rooms or move to spaces in the Faculty Lodge or Charles River Apartments.

The e-mail also stated that faculty and staff would consider adjustments in academic requirements in the event of illness.

E-mails to faculty and staff Sept. 9 from Provost Marty Krauss and Vice President for Human Resources Scott Bemis urged them in the event of illness not to go to work until 24 hours after their fever has subsided.

The e-mails directed faculty to inform their department chairs if they become ill.

Poaster said that sick students who live nearby have gone home and that some have stayed with their parents in hotels.

Students who stayed on campus remained in their rooms while healthy roommates stayed in other locations on campus.

"We ask people to self-isolate, meaning that they stay outside of six feet from people when they're sick," she said.

Poaster said Community Living staff and Health Center staff have been checking on sick students.

Students can leave isolation when they have no fever without medication, she said.

She added that facilities services have been doing extra cleanings of bathrooms.

The Health Center also offers "feeling blue" meal forms for students to get take-out meals from Dining Services, she said.

The Health Center began offering vaccines for the seasonal flu yesterday. Poaster said she expected the H1N1 vaccine to arrive by late October.

"The good news is that there are some indications that it might only require one dose of vaccine," she said.

"We've been relatively lucky in Massachusetts. I think people have seen cases . but a lot fewer than in the West and in the Southeast," she said.

"I think...people have done a really good job of hand-washing and staying isolated if they feel sick" she said. "We've been working on the [response] through the summer, and I feel like we're now at the place where we thought we would be.