Oregon Public Broadcasting

Officials at Western Oregon University have closed down the campus in Monmouth due to a possible case of H1N1 swine flu.  

In an e-mail to students and staff, WOU President John Minahan said that preliminary testing indicates that a Western Oregon student is ill with swine flu.

 State Public Health Director Mel Kohn told state lawmakers Friday morning that he green-lighted the decision.  But Kohn says he knows closing the school won’t fully prevent the disease from spreading.

Mel Kohn: “I think that’s essentially an impossible thing to do at this point.  What it will do is slow the spread of the disease, however, throughout the community there in Monmouth and into other communities throughout the state. And that really was the goal.”

About 5000 students attend Western Oregon University.  Officials also canceled a regional track meet there this weekend that was expected to draw more than a thousand visitors to campus.

The closure will last through at least Monday evening.  State health officials say that as of Friday morning, there are four probable cases of swine flu in Oregon.

Online:

Information about H1N1 swine flu in Oregon

Letter Posted on Western Oregon University website