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H1N1 Flu: Practical Preventative Steps:


As you know, flu can be spread easily from person to person. Therefore, we are asking that each of you take steps to prevent the spread of flu at Southern for as long as possible. Here are a few practical things you can do to help:

  •     Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners also are effective.

  •     Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder, not into your hands. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth - germs are spread this way. And try to avoid close contact with sick people, as flu spreads mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing.

  •     Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. It is very hard to distinguish between the symptoms of seasonal flu and the 2009 H1N1 flu and both conditions are treated similarly. A fever is a temperature taken with a thermometer that is equal to or greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Look for possible signs of fever: if a person feels very warm, has a flushed appearance or is sweating or shivering. If you have flu symptoms the best place for you to be is at home, and receiving consultation and treatment from your family physician. If you are ill, you should limit your interactions with others until at least 24 hours after you no long longer display fever symptoms without the aid of medicine.

  •     Talk with your health care providers about whether you should be vaccinated for seasonal flu. Also, if you are at greater risk for flu complications from H1N1 flu, you should consider getting the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available (projections are for late October to November). Individuals at high risk for H1N1 flu complications include pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease or HIV.

  •     If you develop symptoms of flu like illness (FLI), please contact the triage nurse at the Health and Wellness Center at 203-392-8FLU. Phone assistance will be available to determine a plan of care for you and whether a visit to the health center will be required. The health center has medical professionals available to you five days a week from 8:30 to 4:30 p.m. during the academic year. You also have access to medical care at local emergency rooms and urgent care centers on weekends. Transportation is  available through the campis RIDES program (see www.southernct.edu for more details).

  •     In the event of class absence due to illness, please refer to the Student Handbook. Be in email contact with your professor to let him/her know you are sick and unable to attend.

 

Read President Norton's October 21 letter on H1N1.

Read President Norton's Sept. 10 letter regarding the first confirmed case of H1N1 flu on campus.