University Responds to Flu Concerns
by Tirzah Lily & JJ Veale
OKWUeagle.com Staff Writers
Oklahoma Wesleyan University residential students were required to attend an informational meeting about the H1N1 virus and the university plan for containment last week.
While OKWU has not had many confirmed cases of the H1N1, several students have had periods of feeling sick with flu symptoms. In the state of Oklahoma universities, there have been 28 new cases of H1N1 confirmed in the past week, according to American College Health Association.
OKWU community members may be nervous about catching the flu since the campus has so many shared spaces—residence halls, the cafeteria, Doc Lacy’s, classrooms.
Deb Cook, Director of Student Health Services, encourages every student to use hand sanitizer located throughout the campus.
Using the sanitizer at the entrance of the cafeteria before you start down the buffet line, as well as immediately after serving your food, can help stop the spread of germs during meal times.
College students are at a higher risk for catching any sickness, as they are known for their late nights and lower cleanliness standards, factors that contribute to a weaker immune system.
Germs spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches their own eyes, nose, or mouth. Droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air and can also accumulate surfaces like a desk, computer keyboard, or telephone.
Nurse Deb suggests that students keep a 10-foot space around them and reminds students that if they can smell the other person’s breath—they are standing too close! Coughs and sneezes should be directed into a tissue, elbow or shoulder, rather than one’s hands.
One television talk show, The View, recommends that everyone wash their hands at least 10 times throughout the day. The hosts also noted that an elbow bump is a preferred way to greet someone, rather than a handshake.
General cleanliness is a key factor in stopping the spread of illness. Only 63% of those surveyed had cleaned their residence hall rooms in the past week, 83% had never cleaned their light switch, and 73% had never cleaned their door handle, in a survey reported by Simmons College Center for Hygiene and Heath in Home and Community (sponsored by Lysol®).
The same study showed significant germs on refrigerator door handles, television remote controls and bathroom sink handles.
Gargling with Listerine® (or another germ-killing mouthwash) three times a day can kill the germs as they collect in the warm, moist area of your throat. Also, swabbing your nose three times a day with a saline solution will help clear out any germs that collect there. The nose is one of the most hospitable places for a germ on the human body.
Nurse Deb should be the first point of contact for any student who is feeling ill. She can determine whether a student should be seen by another health care provider. She can be reached at (918) 914-9808.
If a student has a confirmed case of influenza, the university recommends that they go to their home for recovery, if possible. Students should stay quarantined until 24 hours after their fever is gone.
Students are encouraged to get the seasonal flu vaccine as the usual seasonal influenza viruses are still expected to cause illness this fall and winter. Flu shots are available at Physicians ImmediateCare and Walgreens for $25 in Bartlesville.
The H1N1 vaccination has been in short supply to health care providers, however. Washington County Health Department will be offering the vaccine for free at a walk-in clinic this Friday, October 30, for anyone who meets certain high-risk criteria: pregnant women, children 6-months to 18-years, persons with health conditions associated with a higher risk of complications (such as asthma), and health care providers who care for these patients. They can be reached at (918) 335-3005 for specific questions.
