(STUDENTS WHO LIVE IN RESIDENTIAL HOUSING)

Go home (we mean HOME not your dorm room) if it is within commuting distance. Your family can take care of you better than your roommate can (really!). Also, this will reduce the chances of you passing it to others here at UAF. 

You should stay home 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 can’t go home: You should stay in your dorm room 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 have a shared-bathroom situation, clean your hands before you leave your room and wear a mask while you are out of your room. Use available disinfectant to wipe down surfaces you touch. It is essential that you not leave your dorm room/bathroom during this period so you don’t infect others.

 

Notify your family even if you are remaining on campus. Residence Life will not normally notify your emergency contacts unless you are hospitalized.

Notify Residence Life staff – either your RA, RD, or the Residence Life Business office at 474-7247. This will allow for resources to be available to you (see below).

Meals can be delivered to your room. If you are not on a meal plan, you may still elect to have meals delivered and be billed for any meals you receive.

Residence Life staff will make daily welfare checks either via telephone or in person. If you don’t have a land-line instrument installed in your room, then Res Life will provide one.

If you MUST leave your dorm room (say to seek medical services), then wear a facemask (ask your RA for one or use one provided from the Health Center) and follow good respiratory hygiene (cough into your sleeve, dispose of tissues properly, etc.) Make sure you dispose of your face mask and tissues in a trash receptacle so others won’t come in contact with them.

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 the above 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.