Faculty
May I attend work if I have flu-like symptoms?
If you have had flu-like symptoms, per the recommendations of the Wake County Health Department and Student Health Services, you should prudently monitor your symptoms, stay home and avoid close contact with others.
- How should I advise students about the flu?
- Remember that flu is spread by SICK PEOPLE or SICK THINGS (things contaminated with flu virus).
- Faculty can decrease exposure of students to SICK PEOPLE by making a strong statement to students early in the semester to stay home from class if sick with influenza and to seek medical attention, if appropriate.
- Faculty can decrease exposure of students to SICK THINGS by encouraging students to carry hand sanitizer and to clean their hands frequently and before and after touching shared items, such as keyboards and microscopes.
How should I advise students who have the flu?
- A student diagnosed with flu should notify faculty by phone or e-mail that they will be away from class due to illness and should not expose the instructor by notifying in person.
- Student and instructor can develop a plan to keep up with course content and missed assignments or tests. The student may be too ill to be productive at all academically while away and should not be penalized if unable to keep up. Incomplete or medical drop may be necessary in some cases.
If a student tests positive for the flu, am I required to notify the class members of possible exposure?
The entire class does not routinely need to be notified when an individual enrolled in a class has a flu diagnosis. Flu is being seen throughout the community, as well as on campus, so classmates are as likely to get exposed off campus as in the classroom. Good health practices to lessen risk of exposure, while on or off campus (avoiding the sick, cleaning hands), and self-monitoring for flu symptoms should occur as long as there is flu activity being reported in the community, not necessarily because there is a sick classmate.
Can the virus live on surfaces, such as computer keyboards?
Flu viruses may be spread when a person touches droplets left by coughs and sneezes on hard surfaces (such as desks, door knobs, keyboards or pens) and then touches his or her mouth or nose. Flu virus can survive minutes to hours on surfaces (up to 8 hours). It is not necessary to disinfect these surfaces beyond routine cleaning.
