A group of Duke football players and staff members has been hit with symptoms resembling the H1N1 influenza, otherwise known as swine flu, ESPN.com reported Thursday night. Head coach David Cutcliffe said Friday that at some point, slightly less than half the team had suffered from flu-like symptoms, but the number of ill had dropped by the end of the week.
Some were quarantined while the rest of the program -- including coaches, staff and trainers -- have taken necessary precautions to stop the spread. Cutcliffe said the most number of players were ill between the third and sixth days of practice, which started August 6. The cases have been mild, typically lasting two or three days, and no one had been hospitalized, Cutcliffe said.
"I wash my hands about 38 times a day, minimum," said Cutcliffe, who has steered clear of the virus but is battling an unrelated mild sore throat. "We can't call ourselves out of the woods, but we have taken tons of measures and will continue to take the measures recommended by doctors, Duke University, the CDC at Duke. We've used our resources well."
The school declined to release specific names, citing HIPAA privacy laws. After the jump, the full statement released by Sports Information Director Art Chase Thursday night:
"Like many other schools and summer camps, Duke has had students diagnosed with influenza that is presumed to be H1N1. The cases involving our football program have been very mild, with illness typically lasting two or three days. We are following CDC guidelines to keep individuals out of general circulation for 24 hours after their fever subsides, so many of the individuals who were ill are already back at practice. The student-athletes received immediate treatment from our medical staff, and returned to practice only after being cleared by Duke physicians."
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