H1N1 Flu/Pandemic Flu

Student Health Services Influenza Information

FAQ H1N1 Flu

 

• General Information
• Parents and Students
• Faculty
• Employees
• Management
• Resource Material

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Management

I am an employee and have been diagnosed with H1N1 Flu, do I need to notify my supervisor?

Yes, you should notify your supervisor and stay at home.  Consult your health care provider about treatment and self-isolation

• Prescription anti-viral medications, Tamiflu and Relenza, are sometimes given to shorten the course of the flu and are most effective if given within 48 hours of symptoms starting. Anti-viral medications might not be necessary for those with mild flu symptoms.
• Anti-viral medication might not be necessary for all patients with H1N1 infection, such as those with mild symptoms.
• Monitor temperature and treat fever.
• Get extra rest and extra fluids.
• Contact your health care provider for more advice in treating symptoms and complications of H1N1 flu.

How long should a sick staff member stay home?

• Current public health agency recommendations are that individuals with symptoms of flu should stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever or do not feel feverish, without us­ing fever-reducing drugs.
• Sick people should stay at home, except to go to the doctor’s office, and should avoid con­tact with others. Keeping people with a fever at home may reduce the number of people who get infected. Because high temperatures are linked with higher amounts of virus, people with a fever may be more contagious.
• A co-worker has been diagnosed with H1N1 flu in my office, who should disinfect the office?

Each staff, faculty and student should clean their own workspace.  Housekeeping Services will not provide additional cleaning services for the flu.  Disinfecting your work area is a sound practice to minimize the spread of germs. The virus can survive for minutes to hours on surfaces (up to 8 hours).

 What should I use to clean my workspace?

You should decontaminate shared items periodically, such as telephones, refrigerator handles and doorknobs; do not share personal items, such as drinks, utensils and personal hygiene items.

Common household cleaners, such as bleach-containing cleaners, Lysol, or other cleaners, such as alcohol-based, should be effective.