MEMORANDUM
TO: NIU Students, Faculty, and Staff
FROM: Steve Cunningham, Associate Vice President, Administration and Human Resources
Linda Herrmann, Assistant Vice President, Student Health and Wellness
DATE: August 24, 2009
RE: Campus Preparations for Seasonal and H1N1 Influenza
Novel H1N1 influenza, formerly referred to as swine flu, is expected to make a comeback in the United States this fall and officials say that college campuses could be impacted. The close quarters of residence halls, classrooms, and social gatherings create prime conditions for transmission of H1N1 flu and seasonal influenza illness.
For that reason, NIU has been working in collaboration with local, state, and national public health officials since last spring to stay informed about H1N1 and how best to respond to any outbreak.
Here are a few 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.
- Practice respiratory etiquette by covering 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.
- Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. A fever is a temperature, taken with a thermometer, that is equal to or greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius. Look for possible signs of fever — if the person feels very warm, has a flushed appearance, or is sweating or shivering.
- If you have flu or flu-like illness, stay home for at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius) or signs of a fever (have chills, feel very warm, have a flushed appearance, or are sweating). This should be determined without the use of fever-reducing medications (any medicine that contains ibuprofen or acetaminophen). Don’t go to class or work. Report your absence through normal procedures.
- Talk with your health care providers about whether you should be vaccinated for seasonal flu. Also if you are at higher risk for flu complications from 2009 H1N1 flu, you should consider getting the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available. People at higher risk for 2009 H1N1 flu complications include pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, heart disease, or diabetes). For more information about priority groups for vaccination, visit www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/acip.htm
If this year’s flu season becomes severe in the coming months, additional steps may need to be taken to prevent the spread of the virus including:
- Special arrangements for students, faculty, and staff at higher risk for complications, in consultation with their health care provider.
- Finding ways to increase social distances (the space between people) in classrooms such as moving desks farther apart, leaving empty seats between students, and encouraging the use of distance learning methods.
- Increased consideration of the time sick students, faculty, or staff stay home or in their residence. During severe flu conditions, sick people should stay home for at least 7 days, even if they feel better sooner. Those who are still sick after 7 days should continue to stay home until at least 24 hours after symptoms have gone away. Symptoms of flu include fever or chills and cough or sore throat. In addition, symptoms of flu can include runny nose, body aches, headache, tiredness, diarrhea, or vomiting.
Should additional steps become necessary, you will receive additional communications and procedures.
For more information about flu in our community and how our institution is responding, visit http://www.niu.edu/flu
Students who are studying abroad and feel sick with the flu should immediately contact the program director or resident director of your program. Please also inform the NIU Study Abroad Office of your condition. Before and during your study abroad, please follow instructions provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the U.S. Department of State. The following Web sites will be helpful: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx, http://www.who.int/ith/en/index.html, http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/health/health_1181.html.
For the most up-to-date information on flu, visit www.flu.gov, or call 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636).
We will notify you by multiple means, including but not limited to the NIU Web site, e-mail messages, and university publications, of any additional changes to our institution’s strategy to prevent the spread of flu on our campus.
Thank you for doing your part to help prevent the spread of seasonal and H1N1 influenza and to keep our university community as healthy as possible during the 2009-2010 academic year.
