(STUDENTS WHO LIVE OFF CAMPUS)
Go home (to your permanent residence) if it is within commuting distance. Ideally, if you have family available to care for you, this is preferable to staying by yourself or with roommates. Also, this will reduce the chances of you passing the flu to others here at UAF.
You should stay home and keep away from others as much as possible until 24 hours after you no longer have a fever ( fever is defined as 100 degrees F or 38 degrees C) or signs of a fever (chills, feel very warm, have a flushed appearance, or are sweating). This should be determined without the use of fever-reducing medication (anything which contains ibuprofen or acetaminophen). For many people this will be about 3-5 days.
If you leave the house to seek medical care, wear a facemask, if available and tolerable, and cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue. Make sure you dispose of tissues and facemasks in such a way that others won’t come in contact with them. In general, you should avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness, especially people at increased risk of severe illness from influenza.
Stay in a separate room and avoid contact with others. If someone is caring for you, wear a mask, if available and tolerable, when they are in the room.
If you have a shared-bathroom situation, clean your hands (e.g. with hand sanitizer) before you leave your room and wear a mask while you are out of your room. Household disinfectants can be used to wipe down surfaces to help prevent the spread of germs.
Drink lots of fluids (juices, sports drinks, broths, in addition to water) to avoid dehydration. Don’t worry if you’re not hungry for a few days – fluid is more important than food. Rest, rest, rest.
Consider taking over-the-counter medication to help lessen your symptoms (like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin).
Most people won’t need to seek medical help for their symptoms unless:
They have high-risk underlying medical conditions (such as pregnancy, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, kidney disease, neuromuscular disorders, or a weakened immune system) or they have severe symptoms. Call your health care provider or the Center for Health & Counseling promptly at 474-7043 if this applies to you. There are antiviral medications which can prevent hospitalizations and death if taken early enough. (Usually prescription medications are not used for H1N1 flu, unless a person is hospitalized or they have underlying medical problems.)
The following warning signs require urgent medical attention:
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen, sudden dizziness, confusion, severe or persistent vomiting, flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough. If your symptoms are severe: Call 911. If your symptoms are not severe: Call your health care provider or the Center for Health & Counseling during office hours at 474-7043. Outside of office hours: Fairbanks Urgent Care (1867 Airport Way, 452-2178), Tanana Valley Clinic First Care (11th & Noble St., 458-2682), or Fairbanks Memorial Hospital (1650 Cowles St., 452-8181).
If you do not have severe symptoms but feel that your symptoms are significant and that you should be seen by a medical provider, call the Center for Health & Counseling at 474-7043 or a local provider (see above).
The Office of Student and Enrollment Services can assist in notifying your professors if you desire (474-7317).
For more information go to: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/general_info.htm.