Update: Students may contact the Student Health Service starting January 11 to schedule an appointment to receive the H1N1 flu vaccine.

What is the situation with the flu at Wake Forest?

For several years, the University has prepared for pandemic influenza as part of its ongoing issues management strategy. Earlier this year, we turned our attention to the potential for an H1N1 outbreak that would affect our community, and put plans into action to mitigate the effects of such a scenario. These plans included methods of communicating with University constituents; ensuring the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff; accommodating sick students so they could comfortably recover; creating guidelines related to absence management; and providing updated news and education to the campus community.

On August 28, Wake Forest first learned of confirmed cases of H1N1 flu on our campus. That same day, we sent a number of communications to students, faculty and staff encouraging them to take basic precautions to reduce risk to exposure, as well as providing information about how to seek medical attention and manage absences.

We have taken action by:

Sending e-mails to students, faculty and staff informing them of the flu's presence on campus and the University's response. Students with flu were advised not to come to class; employees with flu were advised not to come to work.
Holding a series of H1N1 flu vaccination clinics during the fall 2009 semester.
Implementing a meal coupon system so that sick students may have a friend or roommate pick up a meal from campus dining services and deliver it to his/her residence hall room.
Providing hand sanitizers to students in residence halls and to employees in academic buildings.
Providing cleaning and disinfecting supplies for students to clean their rooms.
Holding regular meetings among University officials to address issues and solutions related to the flu.
Communicating frequently with county health officials and infectious disease specialists at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
Assigning the University's health educator to work with peer health educators on campus to distribute posters and other materials for campus.
Appointing University health officials to monitor relevant information from federal, state and local officials on a daily basis.
Assisting departments, with the help of Human Resources, in locating and acquiring temporary resources in the event an outbreak results in significant staffing shortages for essential positions.

What can you do to prevent the flu?

Take the following precautions

As recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Get an annual seasonal flu vaccine, as well as the H1N1 flu vaccine.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or your elbow, not your hands, when you sneeze or cough. Throw tissues in the trash after you use them.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

Know the symptoms

The symptoms of novel H1N1 flu virus in people are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with novel H1N1 flu virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting.

For general information about prevention, symptoms and treatment, visit:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm

For specific information from the CDC concerning the response of Institutions of higher education to H1N1 influenza please visit:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/institutions/guidance/

What do I do if I have symptoms?

If you think you have flu symptoms, avoid contact with others and seek medical attention promptly. For an overview of symptoms, please visit:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/sick.htm

For information on caring for someone in your family with symptoms, please visit:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance_homecare.htm