H1N1, also known as the swine flu, has become a prominent concern on Creighton’s campus.
Creighton officials have begun to take measures set up many precautions to limit or delay a possible outbreak.
“Our precautions include anything from personal hygiene and cleaning high traffic areas, to staying at home when ill, and encouraging vaccines through free flu shot clinics later this fall,” Tanya Winegard, assistant vice president of Student Life and Services, said.
The symptoms for swine flu including: fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue and vomiting in some cases.
“Creighton has called on students with these sympoms to stay at home in isolation for at least seven days, and then another 24 hours
after the symptoms have subsided,” Tanya Winegard said in e-mails from the Center for Student Health.
If the symptoms do not get better within a week, hospitalization is necessary.
“With swine flu becoming a major issue, it is crucial for students to maintain a healthy lifestyle,” said Nicola Prewitt, MDMPH, “that includes not only maintaining good sleeping patterns, eating well, but cutting back on deleterious toxins such as alcohol and cigarette smoke from entering the body.”
Schools across the country have already experienced effects of H1N1. At the University of Illinois, 11 cases have been reported. At Xavier, students have begun to wear masks to protect themselves from the outbreak. Some schools have closed because of H1N1.
“Along with wearing masks, I suggest that students buy humidifiers for their apartments or dorms to help keep humidity levels high, which has been shown to cut back the viability of the H1N1 virus survival,” Prewitt said.
Creighton has released articles that advise students to report illness to their resident advisors as soon as possible so the student can be isolated.
Furthermore, Winegard said extra cleaning procedures have been put in place in the common areas of dorms and high traffic areas. She stressed prevention as a key factor in limiting the spread of H1N1.
There will also be a free flu clinic for Creighton students, probably in October, and Winegard added there will be incentives for students to participate.
The Center for Disease Control stresses that washing hands frequently with soap and water is a highly effective way to save students from the stresses of H1N1.
Students around campus seem to be worried about this virus; however, some are less worried than others, such as Houston Johansen, Arts & Sciences senior.
“While I think H1N1 is concerning, in my opinion the media hype about it has caused the public to become misinformed and overly concerned,” said Johansen. “The reality is that while it is a problem it is not going to wipe us off the face of the earth.”
Students at Creighton are called to maintain a healthy lifestyle to ensure that studies are uninterrupted during the fall and winter to come.