Welcome to the H1N1 (Swine) Flu Guidance Home Page
Please click links at left for information to help you prepare yourself, your living unit or your workplace to deal with the effects of the flu or other major disease outbreak affecting WSU. View important messages and the current status of WSU to the right. Check the WSU Health and Wellness Flu Blog, also to the right, for the latest info on H1N1 flu vaccine availability and other key information.
More H1N1 Vaccine Available for Students At WSU Health and Wellness!
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009
Additional shipments of vaccine have allowed WSU Health and Wellness (HWS) to add appointments through the rest of the week for students to get the H1N1 flu vaccine. As of this morning, HWS had 700 doses of the H1N1 flu shot and about 30 doses of LAIV available. In the four days HWS has offered appointments for the vaccine, we have given it to approximately 400 students. (HWS had already vaccinated several hundred students prior to that.)
HWS would like to get the vaccine to every WSU student who wants it before Thanksgiving break. Students can schedule online or by calling 509-335-3575 to make an appointment. All H1N1 flu vaccines are free for WSU students.
HWS continues to see students with flu-like symptoms, and this is the time of year when traditional flu season begins. Because of this, HWS is preparing for a possible resurgence in flu cases when students return to campus after Thanksgiving break.
While the symptoms of the H1N1 flu can be mild, the virus can significantly weaken the immune system, leaving a person more susceptible to other upper respiratory infections that could potentially be more serious or last longer than the H1N1 flu. Vaccination is the best protection against the flu.
HWS is encouraging all WSU students to get vaccinated against H1N1 influenza as soon as possible. Even those students who think they may have already had the H1N1 flu should get vaccinated. The only exceptions would be students who have medical reasons to not get vaccinated.
HWS should continue to receive weekly shipments of LAIV, but we don’t know exactly when it will arrive or how many doses will be received. If a student has not gotten the vaccine prior to the Thanksgiving break and has an opportunity to get vaccinated while at home, HWS recommends taking advantage of that opportunity.
HWS is out of seasonal flu vaccine.
For more information about flu vaccine, go to http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm.
The Basics of Preventing the Spread of the Flu
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or a shirt sleeve or elbow if no tissue is available)
- Stay home if you feel sick
Know the Symptoms of the Flu
The symptoms of the H1N1 flu are similar to the symptoms of the seasonal influenza:
- Fever (a temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 37.8 degrees Celsius or greater)
- Lethargy
- Lack of appetite
- Coughing
Some people with H1N1 flu have also reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Know What to Do About the Flu |
 | - Cover your cough
- Wash your hands frequently
- If you have a fever, stay home for at least 24 hrs after that fever has ended
- Get a vaccine when it becomes available
|
Living in a Residence Hall, Greek House or Apartment?
Click HERE for tips to help you get through a bout with the flu.
WSU and the H1N1 (Swine) Flu
Washington State University continues to monitor the influenza A (H1N1) which is also known as the swine flu, as the University heads towards Thanksgiving break and then finishing out the semester in December. As we are all aware, H1N1 or other flu-like illnesses hit the Pullman Campus hard at the start of classes in August and then on through September before slowing down in October. While influenza-like illnesses are still showing up daily at WSU Health and Wellness, the numbers are down to just a few cases a day from the peak numbers in early September. Even though the flu is less prevalent than it was, this is no time to let down your precautions. Please keep following the guidelines above to prevent the spread of flu.
Now that the vaccine specific to the A (H1N1) flu is becoming available, please consider getting vaccinated as soon as possible. The H1N1 flu has shown itself to impact younger people at a much higher rate than older folks. Most WSU students fall in the range of those most impacted by this strain of the flu. Now that the vaccine, either the inhaled version or the shots have become more available, it is important to consider getting vaccinated even though you may think you have already had what you thought was the flu, this fall. Unless you have definitely been tested to have specifically had the H1N1 flu, you may still be vulnerable to getting the H1N1 flu this winter. Students should check with WSU Health and Wellness (click on their Blog above and to the right) for more information about the availability of the H1N1 vaccines and whether you are in the "at-risk" priority group for vaccination. If you are not a student, check with your health care provider or Whitman County Public Health, 509-332-6752 for information on eligibility for and the availability of H1N1 vaccines.
Please note the A (H1N1) flu , although of swine origins is not caused by eating pork or pork products that have been properly cooked.
