Sneezes, coughs, fever and chills are symptoms that every student would want to dodge.
Last year between the beginning of August and mid-November, more than 80,000 college students around the United States had come down with the H1N1 virus, known as the Swine flu, according to the American College Health Association.
Florida A&M University contributed to the Swine Flu statistic reporting 80 cases between
April and September of 2009.
As fall approaches, the FAMU Student Health Services are preparing so that they can
keep the spread of flu down to an all-time low this year.
Dr. Sharron Foster, medical director of SHS, recommends practicing good sanitation to
prevent the spread of swine flu and other airborne diseases.
“If you are sick, remember the simple things like covering your mouth, washing your hands often and trying not to make contact with others,” Foster said.
Lucner Fleurima, 19, an incoming freshman pharmacy student from Orlando, said he trusts that the university will have things sanitized and will keep everything under control health wise.
Eighteen-year-old incoming freshman Marquis Lyons, a music education student from
Crawfordville, Fla., said that strategies to prevent germs are already being put into play in the Paddyfote dorms.
“They are already teaching us about good sanitation; we use hand sanitizers etc,” Lyons said.
After becoming a student at FAMU, there is a requirement of immunization. The FAMU
SHS Web page shows immunizations that are offered and required or recommended.
The vaccination list includes: measles, mumps and rubella, meningitis, hepatitis A,
hepatitis B, varicella (chicken pox), influenza, human papilloma virus (HPV), tetanus,
pneumonia and the most recent addition, H1N1 (swine flu).
“The rate of swine flu cases around the world have declined,” Foster said. She
included that the H1N1 vaccination will be available during the fall semester.
The symptoms of swine flu include fever, coughing, sore throat, body aches, headache,
fatigue and chills, as reported by Medline Plus, a service of the U.S. National Library of
Medicine.
The student health services are located on the first floor in the Foote-Hilyer Administration Building and open on Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For more information on vaccinations, contact the SHS at (850) 599-3777.