SU braces for H1N1 flu
Haley Aaron
Issue date: 5/6/09 Section: News
As news of a new flu epidemic spreads throughout the world, Samford has been preparing to handle a possible outbreak, if the flu had gotten out of control.
Samford students received information about H1N1 influenza (more commonly known as swine flu) through an e-mail sent by Vice President of Planning and Operations Sarah Latham.
In the e-mail, Latham encouraged students to take preventive measures to avoid infection and discussed the efforts of the Pandemic Planning Team (PPT), an organization developed in order to prevent the spread of diseases such as H1N1 on campus. The e-mail also provided links to Web sites providing additional information concerning the disease, including a Samford Web page with links to information about the disease and an RSS feed about actions being taken by Samford.
Latham said that the Pandemic Planning Team's five-phase response plan was modeled after the World Health Organization's levels of pandemic response.
"At various stages the University takes various actions," she said. "The PPT leads the response efforts but is in close communication with departments across campus."
In the case of a confirmed H1N1 infection on campus, Latham said the university will work with local officials to determine the best course of action.
As of Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have listed four confirmed cases of H1N1 in Alabama, and a total of 403 cases within the United States. Although there have been no probable or confirmed cases reported at Samford, the Alabama Department of Public Health reports that one probable case of H1N1 has been reported at Troy University.
Director of Student Health Services Shauna Yelton said that health professionals believe H1N1 is spread like the common flu, and can be passed from person to person through sneezing, coughing or coming in contact with items that have been infected with the virus. Although the disease has been popularly referred to as "swine flu," scientists have discovered that the disease cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans.
"The illness is not in any way associated with eating or handling pork products," Yelton said. Individuals diagnosed with the virus have reported symptoms similar to the common flu, such as body aches, fever and coughing. In addition to these symptoms, some patients have experienced vomiting and diarrhea.
Yelton suggested that in order to prevent an outbreak of the virus on campus, students should practice preventive measures such as washing hands often and using tissues when coughing or sneezing. If students are feeling sick, Yelton advised them to visit a doctor before they should chance a visit to class. "Try to avoid close contact with sick people, and most importantly, if you are sick, you should stay out of class and limit your contact with other to avoid infecting them," she said.
Samford students received information about H1N1 influenza (more commonly known as swine flu) through an e-mail sent by Vice President of Planning and Operations Sarah Latham.
In the e-mail, Latham encouraged students to take preventive measures to avoid infection and discussed the efforts of the Pandemic Planning Team (PPT), an organization developed in order to prevent the spread of diseases such as H1N1 on campus. The e-mail also provided links to Web sites providing additional information concerning the disease, including a Samford Web page with links to information about the disease and an RSS feed about actions being taken by Samford.
Latham said that the Pandemic Planning Team's five-phase response plan was modeled after the World Health Organization's levels of pandemic response.
"At various stages the University takes various actions," she said. "The PPT leads the response efforts but is in close communication with departments across campus."
In the case of a confirmed H1N1 infection on campus, Latham said the university will work with local officials to determine the best course of action.
As of Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have listed four confirmed cases of H1N1 in Alabama, and a total of 403 cases within the United States. Although there have been no probable or confirmed cases reported at Samford, the Alabama Department of Public Health reports that one probable case of H1N1 has been reported at Troy University.
Director of Student Health Services Shauna Yelton said that health professionals believe H1N1 is spread like the common flu, and can be passed from person to person through sneezing, coughing or coming in contact with items that have been infected with the virus. Although the disease has been popularly referred to as "swine flu," scientists have discovered that the disease cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans.
"The illness is not in any way associated with eating or handling pork products," Yelton said. Individuals diagnosed with the virus have reported symptoms similar to the common flu, such as body aches, fever and coughing. In addition to these symptoms, some patients have experienced vomiting and diarrhea.
Yelton suggested that in order to prevent an outbreak of the virus on campus, students should practice preventive measures such as washing hands often and using tissues when coughing or sneezing. If students are feeling sick, Yelton advised them to visit a doctor before they should chance a visit to class. "Try to avoid close contact with sick people, and most importantly, if you are sick, you should stay out of class and limit your contact with other to avoid infecting them," she said.
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