Rockford College is being proactive in getting the word out
about the H1N1 infection (also known as swine flu) even though no cases have
been reported in the city of Rockford.
The college is publicizing prevention measures on campus
including e-mails to students, faculty and staff, and posters around campus
urging people to wash their hands often and use common sense strategies to
prevent getting and spreading the flu.
Cecelia Bristol, director of the college’s LangCenter
for Health, Wellness and Counseling, says simple things like washing your
hands, covering your mouth when sneezing or coughing and avoiding people who
are ill can go a long way in containing the illness.
Bristol is asking that
students on campus who have flu-like symptoms should promptly go to the LangCenter
for evaluation. Employees, meanwhile, are being urged to see their personal
physician in such cases.
Symptoms include a fever, sore throat, cough, body aches,
fatigue, chills, and occasional nausea or diarrhea.
As of May 2, one likely case of the flu was reported in BooneCounty
and there have been multiple reports of probable cases elsewhere in Illinois, either in Chicago
or surrounding collar counties.
Bristol adds that the LangCenter
is monitoring the situation, is in contact with local and state health
authorities and is preparing for any contingency.
Students and employees considering travel to another country
are being urged to consult the Web site of the Center for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov/travel) for travel alerts and
checking in with Lang before and after the trip.
For more information, contact the LangCenter
at 815-226-4083.
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