With four confirmed cases of the swine flu and 17 suspected ones creeping their way into student residences at McGill University, so far, it seems, students are unconcerned.
"Swine flu doesn't really make me nervous at all. I just, I don't know, I feel it's all hype," said one McGill student.
"If my roommate had it I'd probably be a little bit more scared but, I mean I'll just try to stay healthy," said another.
Students should use caution, however, said student residences director Michael Porritt, who oversees all nine residences at McGill, for a total of about 3,000 students.
"It's not time to panic. It's just time to take the prevention seriously and then if they do get sick, take the care seriously and stay home," said Porritt.
The residences provide hand sanitizers and masks, and bring food up to ill students so they don't leave their rooms, but health officials said they know there are students out there spreading the flu.
"They had a mid-term, or they had a test, they wanted to write that, they wrote it, (and then say) I've had a fever for a three days," said Pierre-Paul Tellier, director of McGill student health services.
While the number of suspected swine flu cases is on the rise, Tellier said there are no hard numbers across campus.
"It's really hard to say. We are putting in place a system, which should be in place very shortly, for people to self-report and then that will give us some idea," he said.
