H1N1 Influenza

H1N1 Symptoms | Student Flu Guidelines | What Can I Do to Avoid Getting the Flu? | What About Flu Shots? | Where Can I Get More Information?

H1N1 Symptoms

The symptoms of H1N1 flu are similar to those of regular seasonal flu and include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Body aches
• Headache
• Chills and fatigue
• Diarrhea and vomiting

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Student Flu Guidelines

If you develop a flu-like illness with symptoms including the sudden onset of fever greater than or equal to 100 degrees, a cough and/or sore throat, please contact the Student Health Center at (740) 368-3160 or (740) 368-3162. Additional symptoms may include body aches, chills, nausea, and a runny nose.

You will be screened via telephone and scheduled for an appointment if necessary. If you also have respiratory or chronic health conditions (such as asthma, heart disease, or diabetes), you will be asked to come to the Center to be evaluated as soon as possible.

The Student Health Center, located inside the Wellness Center in Stuyvesant Hall, is open from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For urgent medical assistance at other times, contact Grady Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Department at (740) 615-1165.

If you are diagnosed with the flu, Ohio Wesleyan will ask you to go home to recuperate if at all possible. Please remember, however, that you should not travel via public transportation while you are ill. Instead, you should make arrangements with parents or friends to drive you.

If you are unable to leave campus, you will be asked to move from your residence room to a special isolation area. Use of such areas will allow Ohio Wesleyan to better monitor your condition, provide food delivery, inform professors of your illness, and more effectively protect the health of the campus community. You will remain in isolation until you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications. (If you live in a single room with a private bathroom, you may self-isolate in your room, but you must arrange for a friend to bring your meals.)

If you live in a residence hall and leave campus to recover, you must contact your Residential Life coordinator to share your whereabouts. If you live in a fraternity house, you must contact your house advisor. In all cases, you will be responsible for coordinating with friends and faculty members to obtain your class assignments, notes, etc.

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What Can I Do to Avoid Getting the Flu?

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, mouth, and face as much as possible; this is how germs spread. Use your own pens to take notes, sign receipts, etc.
• Maintain good hygiene. Influenza is easily spread by coughing and sneezing, as well as by germs on people’s hands. When washing your hands, apply soap to wet hands and thoroughly cover all areas including under your fingernails. Rub your hands together for at least 20 seconds and rinse well. Use a paper towel to dry your hands, and then use the towel to turn off the faucet and open the restroom door.
• Cough and sneeze into disposable tissues and immediately place used tissues into a waste basket. Do not cough or sneeze into your hands; if a tissue is not available, cough or sneeze into your elbow.
• Follow good-health guidelines: eat nutritious foods, drink plenty of fluids, get enough sleep, stay physically active, and manage stress.

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What About Flu Shots?

Two shots are expected to be available this year: one for H1N1 flu and one for regular seasonal flu. The vaccinations are intended to be used in combination to provide the best overall protection. Ohio Wesleyan has not received either vaccine at this time. The Student Health Center will announce immunization clinics as soon as information becomes available.

As of now, the Centers for Disease Control has identified college students as priority recipients of the H1N1 vaccine, expected to be available in mid-October. Other priority recipients include:

• Pregnant women because they are at higher risk of complications and can potentially provide protection to infants who cannot be vaccinated.
• Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age because younger infants are at higher risk of influenza-related complications and cannot be vaccinated. Vaccination of those in close contact with infants less than 6 months old might help protect infants by “cocooning” them from the virus.
• Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel because infections among healthcare workers have been reported, and this can be a potential source of infection for vulnerable patients. Also, increased absenteeism in this population could reduce healthcare system capacity.
• All people from 6 months through 24 years of age.
• Children from 6 months through 18 years of age because we have seen many cases of novel H1N1 influenza in children, and they are in close contact with each other in school and daycare settings, which increases the likelihood of disease spread.
• Young adults 19 through 24 years of age because we have seen many cases of novel H1N1 influenza in these healthy young adults and they often live, work, and study in close proximity, and they are a frequently mobile population.
• Persons aged 25 through 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza.

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Where Can I Get More Information?

• Download OWU’s H1N1 Safety Tips information sheet (92k PDF*)
• Contact the OWU Student Health Center at (740) 368-3160
• Visit the CDC online at www.cdc.gov
• Visit the Delaware General Health District online at www.delawarehealth.org

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