© University of Rochester 1996-2012
Health
During the heaviest travel time of the year, the flu doesn’t take a vacation.
Since early September, slightly more than 400 students have been seen for influenza-like illness by University Health Service—and all of those cases have been mild to moderate. If your son or daughter feels sick with flu-like symptoms and cannot travel for Thanksgiving break, be assured that the University will make daily calls to students, deliver liquids and light meals, and have medical staff available. The University supports the Centers for Disease Control recommendation that people with influenza-like illness should avoid travel.
In mid-December when most students will leave for winter break, similar plans will be in place. The River Campus will have one area open and supplied with juices, soups, and boxed light meals for students who may be sick or who are planning to stay on campus and later show signs of flu-like symptoms. The Eastman School of Music will make individual plans for students who are ill during winter break.
Preventive actions like washing hands and covering coughs and sneezes remain among the best ways to help limit the spread of influenza. Symptoms of flu include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue.
The University maintains a list of students who are in isolation due to influenza-like illness. This is being done to reduce the pressure on students to attend class while ill and to provide an easy way for faculty to confirm that a student is absent for legitimate, health-related reasons.
For students who may be traveling on international flights in the coming weeks, some countries, including China and Japan, are screening passengers as they arrive. Travelers may be checked for fever and other symptoms of influenza and their travel may be delayed, says the CDC. Especially before winter break occurs, consult the embassy of the country or countries on a student’s itinerary. The University or the U.S. Department of State cannot alter or influence the number of days a student might be placed in quarantine upon entering and exiting other countries.
If you have questions regarding the flu, please call the University Health Service at (585) 275-2662 or e-mail a message to UHS through the Web site. Other contacts include Dawn Bruner, director of parent relations for the College, at (585) 275-5415 or dawn.bruner@rochester.edu, and for Eastman students, contact the Office of Academic Affairs at (585) 274-1020. For more flu information, check the UHS Web page and the University H1N1 flu site for updates.
© University of Rochester 1996-2012