Informed decisions about H1N1 (2)

College means one has reached a certain maturing state in being, and the ability to make decisions comes with those responsibilities. But with responsible decision making comes the need for information, because being informed is a key part of knowing what to do next.
With impact of the H1N1 flu right around the corner, and few students as prepared as the Health and Wellness Center would like them to be, there may be a rough road ahead.
Christine Burke, Director of the Center of Health and Wellness, said she expects the virus to affect 30 percent of students, because they are in a high-risk group, five to 24.
“I do think we will see a significant amount [of H1N1 cases] in the next few weeks.” Burke said.
She said because students at Keene State College today were not around in the ‘70s when a strand of the swine flew swept through NH. The idea is that the older age groups contact with the virus caused a resistance to it.
Also students are under stressers, tend not to eat well and live in large communities. This not only compromises their immune systems but also adds a quicker medium for the virus to spread through, according to Burke.
This is where self health responsibility kicks in, whether it’s before or after anyone contracts any influenza like illness (ILI). She said eating right and a good night sleep are two great things anyone can do for their immune system.
Burke also urges students with high-risk situations, such as asthma, diabetes, Crohn’s disease, transplants and/or pregnancy to take extra care. Also, high risk students will have first consideration when it comes to care at Health Services.
One part of good decision-making is knowing what options are available. In this respect, if someone is misinformed, they can’t make the right choices to recover from any illness.
Many students were told to avoid the Center of Health and Wellness if they felt any ILI symptoms. Burke said this is because, with a flu virus, there is nothing the Health Center staff can do. It’s all about bed rest and taking care of ones-self.
Nate Gordon, resident director of the East Halls, said the Center of Health and Wellness is doing a lot to inform students by providing posters and online updates.
But one thing students may not know is that they are urged to call the Health Center if they even suspect they have ILI symptoms, especially if they include nausea and diarrhea.
The idea is to not infect the staff or students in the Health Center while still providing aid for those students who need information in order to take care of themselves.
According to Gordon Residential Life has been working closely with the Center of Health and Wellness, assuring the messages of precautions get to residents. Resident assistants have also been trained to handle cases of H1N1 in their halls.
Although Burke predicts nearly 30 percent of students will be affected, Gordon said he doesn’t think it will get that bad. He believes because the virus runs its course so quickly, there may already have been cases of it that were not identified.
And the real question now is, if the virus spreads quickly will students be prepared?
“This very second, probably not,” said Gordon.
He did say that it is a case-by-case process and once the Center of Health and Wellness was aware of the issue, information would spread quickly.
But as for now Gordon believes what should be done is being done, and what can be provided for students is helping them kill potential viruses in air or on surfaces.
“We are big on hand sanitizer,” Gordon said.