Swine Flu 101: College Survival Tips
Swine Flu Is Hitting Colleges; Find Out How to Deal With It
By
Miranda Hitti
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by
Louise Chang, MD
Swine flu, or H1N1 flu, is back on campus and already making students sick.
What if it strikes you, your roommate, or someone in your class?
Before you brush it off as hype, keep in mind that young adults, even
healthy ones, are one of the high-risk groups for a bad case of swine flu.
Although most cases haven't been severe, there have been deaths, affecting
young adults more than you might expect.
Here are 12 tips for dealing with swine flu on campus.
1. Sick? Just stay home. From classes. From games. From the parties
that, if your parents asked about, you definitely weren't at. From everything,
except going to get medical care. If you've got flu-like symptoms -- fever or
chills AND cough or sore throat, and maybe also runny nose, body aches,
headache, tiredness, diarrhea, or vomiting -- consider yourself grounded until
you've been free of fever, or signs of fever, for at least 24 hours without
taking fever-reducing medicines.
2. Butter up your friends. You might need them as a "flu buddy" to
help you keep up with class notes, assignments, food, supplies, and anything
else you need from the outside world while you're in your swine flu bubble.
3. Clean up your crib. Got a sick roommate? Their germs can linger,
so it's in your best interest to regularly clean shared surfaces such as
doorknobs. Of course, you'll also need to keep your hands clean. Don't sneeze
into them; use a tissue (once, and then throw it out) or your arm.
4. Build your flu supply stockpile. Just in case, stock your dorm
room with tissues, a thermometer, and plenty of liquids so that you stay
hydrated.
5. Alcohol? No go. Don't even think about putting alcohol on your
liquid list, even if you're old enough to buy it legally. It's dehydrating,
which is the opposite of what you'll need to avoid getting dehydrated by
flu.
6. Can't avoid close contact? Get face masks. If you live on campus
and get flu, you could move home temporarily while you recover. But if that
isn't possible, and you can't (or won't) avoid close contact with other people
-- which means being within 6 feet of them -- the CDC recommends that you wear
surgical face masks to keep your germs to yourself. Don't reuse those face masks;
they're made to be worn only once.
7. "Close contact" doesn't just mean kissing. Yes, you can spread
your germs by kissing someone. But you don't have to be that close. Anywhere
within 6 feet is close enough for your droplets to spread. So that's how
far you need to stay away from people, unless you're wearing a face mask, to
spare them your flu.
8. Don't take aspirin. Teens shouldn't take aspirin because of
the risk of a rare but serious illness called Reye's syndrome. That includes
baby aspirin. And at any age, follow the instructions exactly for any medicine,
even if you bought it without a prescription, to avoid harmful side
effects.
9. Your health: Hot or not? Certain medical conditions -- including
asthma, diabetes, and pregnancy -- worsen your odds with swine flu. And some of
those conditions, like diabetes, aren't always obvious. So even if you feel
great, it wouldn't hurt to check with a health care provider to make sure
you're as healthy as you think.
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