University prepares for potential flu outbreak

Prevention is the key message for staff and students

By Sharon Dickman

sdickman@rochester.edu

Tips for staying healthy

University Health Service recommends the following practices to reduce your chance of getting sick and to help reduce the spread of illness.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing and sneezing.

• Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if they are available. Carry your own bottle of hand sanitizer and use it often.

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue whenever you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it and then wash your hands.

• If you are sick, stay home to avoid infecting others. The CDC recommends staying home when you experience symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue.

University Health Service encourages the Univesity community to stay informed. Web sites that are regularly updated and provide useful information include:

• www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)

• www.flu.gov, U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services

• www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/, World Health
Organization (WHO)

• www.nyhealth.gov, New York State Department of Health

Beginning on Thursday, September 17, undergraduate and graduate students can visit flu vaccine clinics organized by University Health Service. More information is available at www.rochester.edu/uhs.

For faculty and staff, the University’s Well-U has a schedule for receiving seasonal flu shots at www.rochester.edu/working/
hr/wellness/ flu_shots.pdf, or seek out your health care provider.

Vaccines for H1N1 are not yet available but are expected to be produced later this fall.

Planning for the expected recurrence of novel H1N1 influenza this fall has mobilized hundreds of University staff and administrators who work in emergency operations, health services, residential life, and other departments and programs.

“The University has an emergency response plan to prepare for and deal with all emergencies, including the impact of the flu on our students, faculty, and staff,” says Mark Cavanaugh, director of environmental health and safety. “Our efforts in a situation such as this are to minimize disruptions, help those who are sick, encourage people to stay well, and share information.”

The so-called swine flu, which was first identified last spring in Mexico, has caused illness in more than 70 countries, but very few hospitalizations or deaths have occurred.

“We are concerned that we may have a more severe flu season than usual this winter, and it may start earlier,” says Ralph Manchester, director of the University Health Service and associate professor in the Department of Medicine. “Young adults may be particularly susceptible to the H1N1 strain of influenza since they have never been exposed to it.”

Prevention has been a key message around the University. Posted information on University Web sites, advisories sent home to parents and students before classes began, and continued communication emphasize the need to reduce the spread of infection.

Such basic health practices as washing hands, covering the nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, and staying away from classes or work when sick are key to controlling the spread of germs, say experts.

A vaccine for H1N1 flu will not be available until later this fall, and the amount of H1N1 vaccine may not meet the demand nationally. But vaccine for the annual, seasonal flu will be available, and those shots are highly recommended, even if it won’t protect against the novel H1N1 strain.

In its early September survey of participating schools, the American College Health Association found about 4,000 new cases of presumed H1N1 influenza at 149 of 204 institutions. The highest rates of activity were in the Southeast and Midwest.

Look for University flu updates and links to useful health and government resources throughout the fall at www.rochester.edu/emergency/h1n1, @Rochester, Weekly Buzz and Grads@Rochester.