Be Prepared for the H1N1 Flu Virus (Swine Flu)

The Reinhardt Health Center is located in the Smith-Johnston Residence Hall on the Waleska campus, and hours during fall and spring semester are 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. A campus doctor is also available by appointment.

The College's nurse, Allison Startup, is carefully monitoring the H1N1 swine flu virus. Guidelines and policy recommendations regarding pandemic contagious illness outbreaks are outlined in the Reinhardt College Emergency Response Plan. We also actively participate on the Cherokee County emergency planning team.

Please see the latest news on www.pandemicflu.gov

Our priority is the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff and visitors. Additional notifications will be sent if specific actions should be taken.

What You Can Do to Stay Healthy

Stay informed:  Influenza spreads mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.

Take everyday actions to stay healthy: 

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
• Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
• Find healthy ways to deal with stress and anxiety.
• Call 1-800-CDC-INFO for more information.

What to do if you are ill:

If you are sick, you may be ill for a week or longer.

• If you are a resident student, it is imperative that you leave campus and go home, if possible. It is essential that you keep away from others as much as possible. Avoid travel and don't go to work or school for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of fever-reducing medicine.)
• Resident students that live too far away to go home should contact the campus nurse (5542 or afs@reinhardt.edu) to arrange for appropriate measures to avoid contact with others. While you are sick, avoid common areas and group activities. While in isolation, appropriate personnel will assist by having meals brought to you.
• If you leave your residence to seek medical care, wear a facemask, if available, and cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue. In general, you should avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness, especially to people with an increased risk of severe illness from influenza.
• With seasonal flu, people may be contagious from one day before they develop symptoms up to 7 days after they get sick. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.
• People infected with the novel H1N1 are likely to have similar patterns of infectiousness as with seasonal flu.

Keep others informed:

If cases of the H1N1 virus are known on campus, it is vital that we keep each other informed.  Please report known cases to the following individuals so that appropriate personnel can be aware.  Students are encouraged to communicate with professors via web to stay informed about missed assignments and projects.

• Students should contact Roger Lee, vice president for student affairs & dean of students, at 770.720.5537 or by email at rrl@reinhardt.edu
• Employees should contact Kirsten Mazur, executive administrative assistant to the vice president for finance & administration, at 770.720.5515 or by email at kem@reinhardt.edu

Symptoms:

The symptoms of novel H1N1 flu virus are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with novel H1N1 flu virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting.  The high risk groups for novel H1N1 flu are not known at this time, but it's possible they may be the same as for seasonal influenza. People at higher risk of serious complications from seasonal flu include people age 65 years and older, children younger than 5 years old, pregnant women, people of any age with chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), and people who are immunosuppressed (e.g., taking immunosuppressive medications, infected with HIV).

What is the myth of the "Stomach Flu"?

Many people use the term "stomach flu" to describe illnesses with nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea that are not caused by the flu virus, but can be caused by many different viruses, bacteria, or even parasites. However, while vomiting, diarrhea, and being "sick to your stomach" can sometimes be related to the flu - particularly in children - these problems are rarely the main symptoms of influenza. The flu is a respiratory disease and not a stomach or intestinal disease.

Symptoms of a Cold vs. the Flu

For more information:

For more information regarding the H1N1 virus, please visit:  http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/