Fairleigh Dickinson University is working closely with health department officials to monitor the spread of H1N1 (swine) influenza.  Flu can be spread easily from person to person. Therefore, we are taking steps to prevent the spread of flu throughout the University, but we need your help to accomplish this.

Please know that during the weeks and months ahead we will continue to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take concerning the health of our students, faculty and staff.  We will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available to us.

For now, we are doing everything we can to keep the University operating as usual. Here are a few things you can do to help:

• Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners also are effective.  We strongly recommend that all students have an ample supply of hand sanitizer.
• Practice respiratory etiquette by covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder, not into your hands.  Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth; germs are spread this way.
• 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. Look for possible signs of fever: if the person feels very warm, has a flushed appearance, or is sweating or shivering.
• Upon the recommendation of the BC CDC (BC Centre for Disease Control), we are encouraging students to go home or stay home if they have flu or flu-like illness, and not return for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius) or signs of a fever (have chills, feel very warm, have a flushed appearance, or are sweating). 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. 
• Talk with your health care providers about whether you should be vaccinated for seasonal flu. If you are at higher risk for flu complications from the 2009 H1N1 flu, you should consider getting the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available. People at higher risk for 2009 H1N1 flu complications include pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, heart disease, or diabetes). For more information about priority groups for vaccination, visit http://www.bccdc.ca/imm-vac/VaccinesBC/FluVaccine.htm.

More information, as well as daily updates on the status of the H1N1 flu, may be found on the BC CDC Web site at: http://www.bccdc.ca/resources/news-alerts/default.htm.

Information about the H1N1 flu and protective measures can also be found at the University Web site at:  http://www.fdu.edu/flu. We will continue to update this site with news and information as it becomes available.