Dear Barry community members,
We have confirmed cases with students having the flu on campus. This virus can spread and cause serious illness. Please do your part in stopping the spread of the flu. Get your flu shot today from the Student Health Center.
Seasonal Flu
With all the talk of deadly diseases, we tend to forget that influenza viruses are still causing illness and up to 3,600 deaths per year. The CDC encourages everyone older than 6 months to receive an annual Flu vaccination. The main ways that influenza viruses spread is from person to person in respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes, and when a person touches respiratory droplets on another person or an object and then touches their mouth or nose before washing their hands. Barry’s Student Health Services advises students, faculty, and staff to take the precautions outlined below to help themselves and others stay healthy.
What Can You Do?
Prevention: To reduce your chance of getting ill, Get vaccinated, and always wash your hands before you eat and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. You can wash your hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. If you recognize that others are sick, limit your exposure to them when possible.
Symptoms: If you become ill with flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, runny nose, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, contact your health care provider, who will determine whether flu testing or treatment is needed.
If you are ill: Stay home, until you have been without a fever of 100.5 or higher without the use of any fever reducers such as aspirin, Acetaminophen or Advil for 24 hours. Even after the fever subsides practice good habits and avoid contact with other people through social distancing. Avoid social gatherings as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness to others. When coughing or sneezing, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue and then throw the tissue away. If you do not have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your sleeve or elbow, not your hands.
High-risk groups: People at high risk for complications of the seasonal flu, include those with the following conditions: Chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (except hypertension), renal, hepatic, hematological (including sickle cell disease), neurologic, neuromuscular, or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus). Pregnant women also are at high risk for complications. Anyone in those high-risk groups should contact their health care provider if they exhibit flu-like symptoms.
Students, please contact your professors and work-study supervisors via email upon onset of symptoms with fever. Students can contact Health Services at 305 899-3750 if they have questions. Notices of communicable diseases will only be provided to students seen in the SHC for treatment. You may also can visit the Health Services Web site at www.barry.edu/healthservices.
Employees, please contact your supervisor via email upon onset of fever with symptoms. For Severe symptoms contact your health care provider.
Do not come to Class or Work if you have fever of 100.5F or higher. The Flu is highly contagious.
For more information on seasonal flu visit www.flu.gov or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at www.cdc.gov/flu/.
Florida Department of Health Flu Information link: http://www.myflusafety.com/
Sincerely,
Health Services