The following tips are based on
recommendations and guidelines from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and SMU’s "Standards
Regarding Seasonal and H1N1 Flu As Recommended by CDC."
Steps you can take to keep from getting ill include:
- When seasonal vaccine becomes available, get vaccinated.
- Get plenty of rest so your immune system is working at its best.
- Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds,
especially after coughing, sneezing, touching contaminated surfaces, using the
restroom, changing diapers, handling garbage, handling uncooked foods, touching
animals, or tending to someone who is sick.
- Use disposable towels or blowers to dry your hands. Do not use a common cloth towel.
- Use disposable towels to turn off faucets and open doors.
- Frequently clean work surfaces and touch points (door handles, drawer pulls, chair arms, etc.) in your work area and home.
- Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze with either a disposable tissue or your sleeve.
After you use a tissue, throw it away.
- If you encounter someone who is sick, stay at least 6 feet away.
- If others in your classes are coughing and sneezing, wearing a disposable mask in class is an option for you.
You may contact SMU's Office of Emergency Management regarding masks.
Think about the possibility of getting sick and what you will need should you be
confined to your home or room for several days. In planning ahead, consider:
- Identify a buddy who can bring you food, medications, school assignments, etc.
- Have a supply of food, water, juices and disposable tissues.
- Compile phone numbers and/or e-mail addresses of family, friends and professors you would need to contact.
- Maintain an adequate supply of clean clothes.
Coping with the Flu
The SMU Memorial Health Center provides the following guidelines to those who have been diagnosed with the flu:
- You are very contagious while you have a fever. Please stay home. E-mail your professors and let them know you have the flu. You may not go back to class or other gatherings until you have not had fever (temp < 100.5°) for 24 hours without taking ibuprofen or Tylenol.
- If you have a meal plan, give your friend or roommate your sanitized SMU ID card for cafeteria meals to go. The cafeteria will box a meal up for you and your friend can deliver it back to you. You may not eat in the dining hall until you have been fever-free for 24 hours.
- If you leave your room, please wear a mask to prevent the spread on campus.
- If you get worse after being on the medication for 3 or 4 days, please go back to the Health Center. The medical staff wants to recheck your lungs to make sure that you have not developed a secondary infection.
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