How to Protect Your College Student From the Flu

As you may know, influenza has been circulating through San Diego since spring, and can be spread easily from person to person. Therefore, we are taking steps to help limit the spread of flu at UCSD, but, we need your help to accomplish this. We are working closely with the San Diego public health department to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take concerning our institution. We will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available to us. For now, we are doing everything we can to keep our institution operating as usual.

Here are a few things you can do to help:

• Encourage your son/daughter to practice good hand hygiene by washing their hands with soap and water,especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners also are effective.
• Remind them to practice respiratory etiquette by covering their mouth and nose with a tissue when they cough or sneeze. If they don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into their elbow or shoulder, not into their hands. Tell them to avoid touching their eyes, nose, or mouth; germs are spread this way.
• Make sure they know the signs and symptoms of the flu. A fever is a temperature taken with a thermometer that is equal to or greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius. Tell them to look for possible signs of fever: if the person feels very warm, has a flushed appearance, or is sweating or shivering.
• Emphasize that they should stay home if they have flu or flu-like illness for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever. This should be determined without the use of fever-reducing medications (any medicine that contains ibuprofen or acetaminophen). Don’t go to class or work.
• Remind them to promptly seek medical attention if they have a medical condition that puts them at increased risk of severe illness from flu (obesity, pregnancy, chronic lung, heart, kidney or liver disease, diabetes, immunocompromised) OR if they develop severe symptoms such as increased fever, shortness of breath, chest pain or pressure, or rapid breathing.
• Encourage them to visit the Student Health Service website for general information, or call if they want to speak to a healthcare provider.

Here are some things we are planning to help your student at UCSD

• Same Day appointments and/or phone triage for students.
• “Sick Kits” containing thermometer, cough syrup, acetaminophen, throat lozenges, hand sanitizer and tissues for purchase at Student Health.
• “Flu Buddies” to assist with delivery of meals and sick kits, and to check in with ill students.
• Flu vaccines—both seasonal and H1N1—will be available at Student Health, as well as mini-clinics around campus; check our website for information on dates/times/locations; we are still waiting for the H1N1 vaccine, but will notify students by Twitter and on our website when it’s available.
• Sponsoring a student video contest for the best flu prevention U-tube video…winner to receive cash and prizes, as well as display on all UCSD Wellness sites and UCSD TV.
• Participating in weekly meetings of the UCSD Emergency Operations Committee to share information, continue to update plans, and provide support for the campus as needed.
• Updating information on the Student Health Services website and working with Triton link to ensure accurate and timely sharing of information and services.

Please visit our website at http://studenthealth.ucsd.edu/ or the UCSD Triton Link Flu Page at http://blink.ucsd.edu/Blink/External/Topics/Policy/0,1162,25861,00.html for ongoing updates.