WKU News

Kentucky Fluview H1N1 Weekly Surveillance Report
College students encouraged to get H1N1 vaccine

Please Note: None of our distributed pediatric doses of the H1N1 vaccine were effected in the lot recall
However, WKU Health Services has been affected by a second recall of the H1N1 LAIV (nasal) vaccine only.
Please visit this page for details: WKUHS Recall

HELPFUL WEBSITES:
For up-to-date guidance and recommendations in Kentucky: http://healthalerts.ky.gov/
CDC 2009 H1N1 Flu(Swine Flu) information: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
U.S. Government Flu Information: http://www.flu.gov/
H1N1 Monitoring Questions & Answers: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/reportingqa.htm
CDC H1N1 (Swine Flu): Resources for Child Care Programs, Schools, Colleges,and Universities: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/schools/

In regards to H1N1 (Swine Flu), what is Health Services doing for the WKU community?

• Click here to find out what Health Services is doing educate students/faculty/staff about H1N1 at WKU.

• WKU Health Services remains in constant contact with the CDC and the Barren River District Health Department for all relevant and up to date information.

• WKU Health Services has met internally with various department representatives to establish initial communication and to discuss potential action plans for a higher level of response and/or involvement if needed.

• We are essentially at Level Yellow, which is awareness and initiation for communication, establishing inventories, etc. A higher level of response will be initiated when we have a specific number of confirmed case on WKU's campus. Even with that--one case will warrant certain response levels vs. several cases in one epicenter (such as a particular residence hall floor, etc.). When/if that happens, we will activate the needed response, work with key personnel and communicate to the campus community exactly what is being done.

• Health Services does have a general pandemic policy. We are well aware that the protocol will be different according to the particular virus/bacteria, we are facing at any particular time (e.g. meningitis, TB, STD's, flu, food/air borne illness, etc.) It is this protocol that will dictate the details of our action plans. We will keep you posted on these steps as needed.

Flu Symptoms

The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similiar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza

• fever
• body aches
• lack of appetite
• coughing
• runny nose
• sore throat
• nausea
• vomiting
• diarrhea

What are the standard guidelines for testing patients with flu like symptoms?

• If a patient test positive for Flu Type A, they are assumed to be positive for swine flu because of the time of year and because it is in the area. The CDC is no longer requiring positive Flu A test to be sent to their labs for diagnoses for swine flu, therefore the test cannot be confirmed as H1N1 swine flu only assumed.
  
• In the meantime, all standard advice for the seasonal flu holds true for the H1N1 (Swine Flu)
  A. If you are sick with the flu, keep yourself away from others
  B. Self-isolate at least until you are free of fever for 24 hours
  C. Stay out of work or school until you recover
  

To avoid getting the flu:

A. Avoid being around someone who is sick and actively coughing and sneezing
B. Cough into your sleeve or a tissue (not your hands)
C. Wash your hands thoroughly and often

What You Can Do to Stay Healthy

These are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy.

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. Click here for our cough etiquette poster.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
  For more information on proper hand washing visit: http://www.cdc.gov/cleanhands/

Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

• Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
• If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
  For more information on ways to stop spreading germs visit: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/stopgerms.htm
  

HELPFUL HANDOUTS

Please post in appropriate departmental areas at your discretion.

• Handwashing - Flyer
• Cough Etiquette - Poster
• CDC "Take 3" Steps To Fight The Flu - Brochure
• Hand Hygiene - Brochure
• Flu Information for People with Certain Medical Conditions
• Seasonal Flu: Posters
• Seasonal Flu: Brochures

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
H1N1 (Swine Flu) is similar to the regular seasonal flu; it is just an interesting mix of strains all together. The U.S. governement is working closely with manufacturers to produce a 2009 H1N1 vaccine. The CDC has isolated the new H1N1 virus so it can be used to make hundreds of millions of doses of vaccine. Making a vaccine is a multi-step process which takes several months to complete. The 2009 H1N1 vaccine is expected to be available in the fall. Availability depends on several factors including manufacturing time and time needed to conduct clinical trials.

WKU Health Services has registered to be a distribution center for when/if the swine flu vaccine isproduced and made available.The CDC will decide who gets the vaccine, when they will get the vaccine and how much they will get. The good news is the swine flu is very responsive to Tamiflu, which isalso used to treat the regular seasonal flu.

**IMPORTANT SWINE FLU UPDATES**
http://healthalerts.ky.gov/ (KY Health Statistics and Alerts)
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/ (CDC H1N1 (Swine Flu) U.S Cases)
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/reportingqa.htm (CDC H1N1 Monitoring Questions & Answers)
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/institutions/ (CDC H1N1 (Swine Flu) College Resources)
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/school/collegeschecklist.html (Universities Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist)
https://www.urmia.org/risk/risk_alert.cfm#swineflu (University Risk Management and Insurance Assoc.)

**IMPORTANT TRAVEL ALERTS**
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/content/news-announcements/delays-H1N1-screening.aspx (CDC International Travel Delays)
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentSwineFluMexico.aspx (CDC Travel Alert in Mexico)
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/notices.aspx#TravelNoticeDefinitions (CDC Travel Health Warning)