The second of Duke's two sessions of the Talent Identification Program has been canceled, officials announced Wednesday. The early termination results from more than 25 of the 260 students exhibiting flu symptoms.
All cases are consistent with the seasonal flu and are mild to moderate, according to a Wednesday news release. This is the first time in the program's almost three-decade history that it has been canceled prematurely. The second session was scheduled to end Aug. 1
Officials were not clear whether the affected students carried the new H1N1 flu virus, commonly known as swine flu. The first cases of swine flu at Duke surfaced on East Campus last month among students participating in TIP, the American Dance Festival and writing programs held on East.
“Although none of the students seems to be in any serious danger, we decided to err on the side of caution and cancel the program to reduce the accelerating risk of infection among the other participants,” Martha Putallaz, Duke TIP’s executive director, said in the statement Wednesday. “We made this decision in close consultation with Duke experts on infectious disease and student health, as well as with campus officials. The health and safety of our students is our highest priority.”
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