H1N1 update
Carly Blahnik
Issue date: 11/9/09 Section: News
Commonly called the Swine Flu, a strand of the H1N1 flu virus has been hitting the nation, and college campuses are now reporting cases along with other locations where there are people in close quarters.
The virus is easily spread from droplets moving through the air and on surfaces and skin contact from person to person. CCAC had a few reported cases of H1N1 at the beginning of the semester, but persons with the virus are in good health now and were medically permitted back on campuses.
CCAC President Dr. Alex Johnson assured that the college is keeping informed and will issue any updates.
"We are continuing to monitor the situation and will be ready to adjust our guidelines accordingly throughout the influenza season," said Johnson in a statement in September.
No other reports have been issued thus far, but Johnson also reminded everyone at CCAC that information and updates about H1N1 can be found at www.cdc.gov., and the CCAC website main page has a link in the menu on the left for more information about H1N1.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state the best way to help avoid spread of the disease is hand washing and using hand sanitizer. All CCAC campuses have installed hand sanitizers at various locations within buildings of the campuses.
The Center for Disease Control lists the symptoms to be: fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with this virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting.
A vaccine for this flu is currently on the market, and the public is urged to contact their physicians for advice on being immunized or not. The seasonal flu vaccine is still available as usual but will not protect against the H1N1 strand of the flu virus.
The best advice is:
-Wash hands and use hand sanitizer
-Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
-Avoid close contact with sick people
-If sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends staying home at least 24 hours after fever is gone
-Keep away from others as much as possible to help prevent them from getting sick
The virus is easily spread from droplets moving through the air and on surfaces and skin contact from person to person. CCAC had a few reported cases of H1N1 at the beginning of the semester, but persons with the virus are in good health now and were medically permitted back on campuses.
CCAC President Dr. Alex Johnson assured that the college is keeping informed and will issue any updates.
"We are continuing to monitor the situation and will be ready to adjust our guidelines accordingly throughout the influenza season," said Johnson in a statement in September.
No other reports have been issued thus far, but Johnson also reminded everyone at CCAC that information and updates about H1N1 can be found at www.cdc.gov., and the CCAC website main page has a link in the menu on the left for more information about H1N1.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state the best way to help avoid spread of the disease is hand washing and using hand sanitizer. All CCAC campuses have installed hand sanitizers at various locations within buildings of the campuses.
The Center for Disease Control lists the symptoms to be: fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with this virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting.
A vaccine for this flu is currently on the market, and the public is urged to contact their physicians for advice on being immunized or not. The seasonal flu vaccine is still available as usual but will not protect against the H1N1 strand of the flu virus.
The best advice is:
-Wash hands and use hand sanitizer
-Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
-Avoid close contact with sick people
-If sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends staying home at least 24 hours after fever is gone
-Keep away from others as much as possible to help prevent them from getting sick