This symptom comparison should help you:

If you have influenza-like symptoms, first pick up the phone and call your health care provider or UA Student Health Services (330-972-7808, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays) to report the illness. See the column to the right for more information about Student Health Services.

If you are sick with flu-like illness, the CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone, except to get medical care or other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) Stay away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick.

Ill students who live on campus are strongly encouraged to go home if possible, seek the help of their health care provider if needed, and return to classes when free of fever as indicated above. Notify your professors of your absence by phone or e-mail before you miss a class, and be prepared to make up any missed work. 

If you cannot go home, notify Student Health Services at 330-972-7808.

Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• 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.

UA Student Health Services held a series of seasonal-flu clinics in October. The University is waiting for word on its request to hold clinics for the V1H1 vaccine as well. See if a clinic is being held elsewhere in Summit County.

Since the type of virus that affected you was not established, health officials recommend you still receive both types of flu vaccine, that is seasonal and H1N1, to maximize your flu prevention measures.

You can expect to feel awful when you have flu, however, influenza typically is a self-limiting illness. It usually lasts 5 to 7 days. Self-care includes rest, plenty of fluids, over-the-counter medication for fever and body aches and avoiding close proximity to other people to prevent virus spread.

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

• Sudden dizziness
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

In children, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish or gray skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

Generally, Tamiflu is prescribed for individuals with flu who are either hospitalized, have a chronic medical condition, or have a suppressed immune system. Tamiflu for influenza is not a cure; it only reduces symptoms and decreases length of recovery time by about 24 hours.

Students with flu-like symptoms should not go to class. They should email their professors to inform them of their illness. To promote student success and to help prevent the spread of the virus, the University has asked that faculty announce their expectations for students who report off ill. Such expectations could require absent students to:

• follow the class attendance policy;
• make up any work missed;
• and inform professors of an absence before missing a class, assignment or test, and that this notification should come via e-mail, so that it can be documented.

Typically, H1N1 flu is not presenting more severely than annual seasonal flu. The residence halls are not at any increased threat; however, students are in closer contact with each other than in other areas of our university community. They have more opportunity to spread this virus, so they need to be extra diligent with washing their hands and covering their noses and mouths when they cough or sneeze.

Students with ill roommates can still share a room but must be extremely diligent in hand washing, distancing themselves as much as they can from ill roommates, wiping down all surfaces daily with sanitizing wipes, and asking those that are coughing to contain it with a tissue or their sleeve.

• We encourage social distancing during a flu outbreak. Room changes do not help prevent or protect the students from contracting a cold or flu. Students should:
• Limit unnecessary trips to grocery stores, malls and other crowded places;
• Keep space between you and others when using public transportation or studying in the library;
• Reduce social contacts and community activities;
• Stay away from others as much as possible for 24 hours after your fever has ended without the aid of medications in order to not be contagious;
• Consider recuperating at home, if possible.

We encourage students with the flu who can arrange safe, private transportation to go home because they will likely feel more comfortable returning home to recover.

Living in a residence hall is considered a “homelike” living situation by public health officials. It is likely you will encounter others on your floor, in your building or possibly in your room or other shared space who contract the virus. You should follow the precautions listed regarding protecting yourself on a regular basis. In addition, you may want to bring some alcohol based wipes to campus with you to use in bathroom areas, sinks, etc. if you are sharing with someone who is sick. Wiping down these areas before use is effective in killing flu viruses. Our custodial staff has increased their cleaning activities in high traffic areas including common bathrooms, lobbies and all other common areas.

Room changes neither protect nor prevent flu transmission. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the rate of secondary infections in households is 15-20 percent. Students living in residence halls are encouraged to practice good hygiene in order to limit their exposure, including regularly washing hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer. They should avoid close contact with their roommates.

Students who are ill can contact Dining Services at 330-972-5592 to request their meal be delivered to their room. There are also “flu kits” available upon request from Dining Services.

In the majority of people, H1N1 flu, like most viral illnesses, is self limited, meaning that a person’s immune system will adequately combat the infection. Healthy patients with uncomplicated illness need not be treated with antivirals, and such treatment is not recommended by the CDC or the World Health Organization (WHO). Treatment with antiviral medications is recommended for patients who are hospitalized or at higher risk for influenza complications. Symptomatic medications are helpful in controlling influenza symptoms such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve) for fever, guaifenesin (Robitussin) for cough and decongestants (Sudafed) for nasal congestion. Rest and good hydration also help with recovery.

Generally, those who develop H1N1 flu experience an illness similar to a seasonal flu. Most cases are relatively mild. The vast majority of people with this type of flu recover uneventfully, generally in about five days.

The best defense against all flu viruses continues to be good hygiene practices including frequent hand washing, cleaning of hard surfaces more often than usual, sneezing into your arm, covering coughs and avoiding unnecessary close contact with individuals who are symptomatic.

Studies have shown that influenza virus can survive on environmental surfaces and can infect a person for 2-8 hours after being deposited on the surface.

Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose or mouth. Droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air. Germs can be spread when a person touches respiratory droplets from another person on a surface like a desk, for example, and then touches their own eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands. Contamination can be significantly reduced by regular handwashing and the use of alcohol-based cleansers for surface cleaning.

Several chemical germicides including chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, detergents (soap), idophors (iodine-based antiseptics) and alcohols are effective against human influenza viruses.