Tusculum College is vigilantly monitoring the activity of the H1N1 influenza virus (swine flu) and making preparations to prevent its spread on campus.
To alert the campus community of what is being done and to provide guidance on how to prevent the spread of flu, the following e-mail was sent to students, faculty and staff last week from President Dr. Nancy B. Moody:
Dear Members of the Tusculum College Community:
Along with virtually every other college in the country, Tusculum College, as a residential community, is continuing to monitor the activity of the H1N1 influenza virus (swine flu). As you may know, we are beginning to see individuals with flu symptoms in our community, and there have been cases of H1N1 reported in the region. While the vast majority of those cases were mild to moderate, comparable to seasonal influenza, H1N1 influenza is widespread, and preventative measures are the best course of action.
As members of our community, here are some recommendations to help you stay healthy:
What You Can and Should Do:
“While you will be seeing additional hand sanitizer stations about campus in the next few weeks, everyone should be mindful that the best preventative measures continue to be washing your hands with soap and water frequently and avoiding contact with those who are ill. Alcohol-based sanitizers are a good option, and you should refrain from touching your eyes, nose or mouth, and cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow.
“Get sufficient rest, exercise and diet and be especially mindful about shared drinks and other items during this season.
“Follow the basic health and safety guidelines from the Center for Disease Control.
“If you are experiencing conditions such as a fever (100 degrees F or higher), cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, muscle aches, headache, chills, fatigue, diarrhea or vomiting, please contact the Wellness Center at x5499 (or after regular operating hours, contact Campus Safety at 423-470-2910.) Do not go to class. Remain in your room and avoid contact with others until at least 24 hours after their fever resolves (this should be determined without the use of fever-reducing medications such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen).
These guidelines correspond with those established by the Center for Disease Control for colleges. According to the CDC, people infected with H1N1 flu virus may be able to infect others from one day before getting sick to five to seven days after. This can be longer in some people, especially children and people with weakened immune systems and in people infected with the new H1N1 virus. Social separation is highly recommended, and anyone with symptoms should limit contact with others to only necessary interactions. Students should stay in their rooms except to visit their physician or the school nurse. If persons with the flu need to leave the home (for example, for medical care), they should wear a face mask, if available and tolerable, and cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing. If possible, sick persons should use a separate bathroom. This bathroom should be cleaned daily with household disinfectant. Faculty are being asked to be flexible with regards to class attendance if students notify them that they are experiencing flu or flu-like symptoms. Similarly, staff and faculty are asked to stay home and practice courtesy in assuring that they not infect other community members.
Information on cleaning and/or disposal of items used by an influenza-infected person as recommended by the CDC include:
“Throw away tissues and other disposable items used by the sick person in the trash. Wash your hands after touching used tissues and similar waste.
“Keep surfaces (especially bedside tables, surfaces in the bathroom and toys for children) clean by wiping them down with a household disinfectant according to directions on the product label.
“Linens, eating utensils and dishes belonging to those who are sick do not need to be cleaned separately, but it is important that these items should not be shared without washing thoroughly first.
“Wash linens (such as bed sheets and towels) by using household laundry soap and tumble dry on a hot setting. Avoid “hugging” laundry prior to washing it to prevent contaminating yourself. Clean your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub right after handling dirty laundry.
“Eating utensils should be washed either in a dishwasher or by hand with water and soap.
Tusculum College will alert students, staff and faculty of the opportunity for registration for seasonal flu and for the H1N1 flu vaccines when they become available. Currently, H1N1-specific vaccines are not expected to be available until the end of October.
What Tusculum College Has Done:
“We will offer seasonal influenza vaccines in the near future and will work with local public health officials to offer H1N1 vaccines when the vaccine becomes available, likely to be in late October.
“Hand sanitizer is being made more readily available on campus.
“A Health Department Pandemic Influenza Presentation has been scheduled for Tusculum College faculty and staff for Thursday, September 17, 2009, from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Behan Arena. Other interested persons from the Tusculum community are welcome to attend.
“We are monitoring local, state, and federal public health agencies to receive the latest updates in a timely manner.
” The President, the Chairman of the Tusculum College Health and Safety Committee, and the School Nurse recently participated in a regional training session sponsored by the Tennessee Department of Health.
For more information contact:
Diane Hensley – Office is located at the Wellness Center in Niswonger Commons. Contact by email – dhensley@tusculum.edu or phone – x5499. After hours, contact Campus Safety at 423-470-2710.
This information is also available on the Tusculum College Web site.
Dr. Nancy B. Moody
President