This is a special health alert to notify you that there are a few students who have become ill with influenza-like illness, or flu symptoms. As a campus, we want to take an aggressive approach to fighting influenza so that our numbers of cases are minimized and your part in fighting the flu is very important!
Symptoms of influenza are: Fever, headache, body aches, chills, cough, severe fatigue, runny nose, shortness of breath in some cases, and diarrhea and vomiting in some cases.
We encourage you to take the following practical steps to keep our campus community healthy:
– Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing and sneezing. Alcohol- based hand sanitizers are also effective.
– Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you are coughing and sneezing. Throw the tissue in the trash after use.
– Wash your clothes and linens regularly.
– Frequently clean your living quarters.
– Try to avoid close contact with sick individuals.
– If you think you might be getting sick with a cold, you should treat your symptoms early with over-the-counter cold medications.
– If you are ill with flu-like symptoms or think you might be getting the flu, you should notify UMS and your RA/RD and follow the influenza care sheet attached below. If you are extremely ill with chest pain, difficulty breathing, or severe vomiting and diarrhea, you should call 911.
Special Note
Students who are ill with flu-like symptoms must be isolated from others, including staying out of classes and chapel, until they are free of fever for 24 hours without the help of Tylenol, Motrin, or other fever-reducing medications.
If you are extremely ill and need to get an appointment at UMS, please call the Nurse Line at 937-766-7863. Please do not walk in unless you are close by and are having a medical emergency. By calling ahead of time, our staff can make sure that you have a specific time to come and that an RN or MD will be available to see you at that time. If you are ill on the weekend or in the evening and are not having an emergency, you can go to one of the local Urgent Care facilities.
We are monitoring closely each case of influenza-like illnesses that come through UMS to ensure appropriate measures are taken and to minimize the spread of any flu virus.
Flu shots will be available for students as early as next week at UMS so please watch your E-mail for times and dates to get a flu shot. The UMS staff is also in communication with the Greene County Health Department as they track the ebb and flow of influenza locally and nationally.
Posted in: Announcement