Flu Information from the President
Dear students, faculty, and staff:
As you may know, flu can be spread easily from person to person. Therefore, we are taking steps to prevent the spread of flu at College of the Ouachitas, but, we need your help to accomplish this. We are working closely with the Hot Spring County and State Health Departments to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take concerning our institution. We will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available to us. For now, we are doing everything we can to keep our institution operating as usual. Here are a few things you can do to help:
Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners also are effective.
Practice respiratory etiquette by covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your sleeve, elbow or shoulder, not into your hands. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth; germs are spread this way.
Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms of flu include fever or chills and cough or sore throat. In addition, symptoms of flu can include runny nose, body aches, headache, tiredness, diarrhea, or vomiting. A fever is a temperature taken with a thermometer that is equal to or greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. If the person feels very warm, has a flushed appearance, or is sweating or shivering, fever is likely.
Stay home if you have flu or flu-like illness for at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit) or signs of a fever (chills, feeling very warm, flushed appearance, or sweating). This should be determined without the use of fever-reducing medications (any medicine that contains ibuprofen or acetaminophen). Don’t go to class or work.
Talk with your health care providers about whether you should be vaccinated for seasonal flu. Most people should. Also, persons at higher risk from flu complications, should consider getting the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available. People at higher risk include pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions (asthma, heart disease, diabetes, etc.). For more information about priority groups for vaccination, visit www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination.
For more information about what College of the Ouachitas is doing or any additional changes to our institution’s strategy to prevent the spread of flu on our campus, visit this page often for updates or call my office at 501-332-0232. For the most up-to-date information on flu, visit www.flu.gov, or call 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636). If there is a need for timely emergency action, the College of the Ouachitas community will be notified immediately through our SchoolCast system to which every student and employee should be subscribed.
Sincerely,
J. Barry Ballard, Ed.D.
President