UWM H1N1 flu update for faculty and Staff, Sept. 8, 2009

Sept. 8, 2009

To UWM faculty and staff:

With a case of H1N1 flu on the UWM campus and more sure to follow, everyone needs to take precautions and make plans.

The best first step? Bookmark http://flu.uwm.edu and become a frequent visitor.

At the site, you will find the latest news and most complete set of instructions written especially for UWM students. Much of it applies to faculty and staff, too.

Particularly useful is the document “What You Can Do About the Flu”:
http://emergency.uwm.edu/pdf/what_do_flu.pdf

It contains insights about precautions and planning, and what to do should you get the flu. Key points include:

• Keep washing your hands frequently with soap and/or a hand-sanitizing gel.


• Go home if you have flu-like symptoms (usually a fever of 100 degrees or more, and a cough or sore throat). Stay at home for at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever or signs of a fever. For most people, this will be three to five days, and they will recover fully on their own without medical treatment.


• Cover 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, and not into your hands.


• Consider getting the H1N1 vaccine and the seasonal influenza vaccine from your healthcare provider.


• If you are home with the flu, contact your department chair or supervisor.

Please continue to monitor http://flu.uwm.edu – you can learn about updates as they are posted by following uwmsafety on Twitter – and watch your e-mail in box for more H1N1 information specifically written for UWM.

--The UWM Pandemic Planning and Response Team