Are they thinking about Swine Flu? Of course the African students at Dutch universities are concerned. But, they are more worried about the effects of the flu back home than in the Netherlands.

“Yes, I am afraid of swine flu. However, I was more afraid the first time the disease broke out in Mexico and there was huge media frenzy”, says Garikai Chimuka, a MSc student from Zimbabwe at Wageningen University, an institution specialised in life Sciences.

“Over time the media frenzy died down so I felt that the disease is under control. However, of late I have started to fear again especially for my family after the disease was reported firstly in South Africa and in Zimbabwe last week, “ he adds.
 

A normal flu

According to Simon Vink, the spokesperson from The University of Wageningen, his university has not adopted any drastic preventive measures since the flu is viewed as a normal flu.

"There are no more travel advices and as from now the students should just report if they suffer from the flu" he added.
 

Every new foreign student at the University of Wageningen always receives a medical examination. They have received a literature about the phenomenon. "We are keeping an eye on it, but for us it is just a flu."

The University of Wageningen has between 10 and 12 thousand students of 100 different nationalities, including a couple of hundreds from Africa. In order to make the new international students feel at home quicker, the university has set up a huge programme, including intercultural training and bike lessons.

Mixed feelings

Garikai Chimuka says that he is not quite aware of any discussion about swine flu in the Netherlands, perhaps because of the language barrier.

“ I only heard from some colleagues who came from Africa that there are tighter controls at the airport with authorities making tight searches. However, they were not sure if the searches had to do with swine flu. They only suspected but they were not told so. So if the searches at the airport are related to swine flu, then, there is need for information to be disseminated to people entering the Netherlands and for some tips on swine flu and things like brochures with information about how its spread, signs and symptoms.”
 

Pro-active

Primus Bela, a student from Cameroon at the University of Twente in Enschede, feels that the Dutch government is being pro-active and is taking the necessary measures. Prominent on the University website is a list in English of recommended preventive measures for students.

Asked about the response in his country of origin, Primus says “they are taking theoretical measures, but to prevent this flu I think that practical measures need to be carried out.”
Garikai Chimuka  is more worried about the impact of a flu epidemic on his country: “ The H1N1 flu poses a  very serious existential threat to Zimbabwe, “ he says.

“If the swine flu which has now been reported in Zimbabwe is to spread especially among the poor people in suburbs and rural areas, it will kill many people in a very short space of time. It will be disastrous especially given the fragile nature of the Zimbabwe Health Care system at the moment combined with cholera and HIV/AIDS, many Zimbabweans will perish” he adds.

However, Garikai says that he has no doubt about the ability of the Dutch health system to cope, if there is an outbreak.