Friday, August 28, 2009
As of 5 p.m. yesterday, administrators at the University reported 243 cases of suspected H1N1 flu among students. That number is up from 191 cases on Wednesday. Every student needs to do their part to help stem the further spread of the swine flu. It doesn’t require much of the individual, but slowing down the spread of a virus requires constant vigilance on part of the entire community.
Any student who develops symptoms, particularly fever, should immediately stop going to classes until they have been tested for swine flu. Other symptoms to look for include coughing or a runny or stuffy nose. Especially common with the H1N1 strain are body aches and a fever of 100 degrees or more. Students should not go to the Watkins Health Center if they have symptoms. Instead, they should call the nurse’s hotline at 785-864-9583.
Student Health Services recommends that students wash hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based sanitizer, cover their mouth when coughing (though not with bare hands) and avoid touching their mouth and nose.
Students in the residence halls, where many of the cases have been reported, have already been advised to take these steps.
“I’m using a lot more hand sanitizer and vitamins,” said Kristin Franzen, Overland Park freshman who is living in the residence halls for the first time.
The absolute best thing students can do is get the H1N1 vaccine, once it becomes available in October. “Definitely, definitely get the vaccine,” said Mai Hester, marketing coordinator at Student Health Services. “The vaccine is the single best thing students can do to prevent the spread or contraction of swine flu.”
Those students who live in close proximity to other students, such as a residence hall or apartment, need to take extra precautions to stay hygienic. Hester said students should clean frequently used surfaces such as doorknobs, kitchen counters and bathroom sinks.
Students in high stress situations also need to take these precautions seriously.
“Stressors always make the body more at risk for acquiring a disease,” said Patty Quinlan, supervisor of nursing at Student Health Services.
“Incoming freshmen who are learning to fix their meals on their own, not living under their parents roof, not even sleeping in their own bed, are under a lot of stress,” said Quinlan. She also warned that new college students who stay out late more often and begin experimenting with drugs and alcohol make it harder for the body’s immune system to fight off the flu.
Other students who should take special care to keep themselves from contracting the flu are smokers and those with a chronic disease such as diabetes or asthma. They have a higher risk of complications with the flu.
The H1N1 virus is still rarely lethal, especially to young and healthy college students, so there is no need to start a panic. Just because you coughed last week does not mean you need to make an emergency trip to the hospital. However, making sure more students don’t have to miss class, work or their family and friends is absolutely worth the effort to prevent further spread of the swine flu.
— — Clayton Ashley for the
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