SAVE THE DATE
Monday, December 7, 2009
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Old Gym - McDonough Center
2009 H1N1 Flu Vaccine Clinic
For Wheeling Jesuit students and employees aged 24 and younger
DETAILS TO FOLLOW IN EARLY DECEMBER
Coordinated with the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department.

November 10, 2009 - 2009 H1N1 Update

We last reported a fast rise in influenza-like illness (ILI) on campus that mirrored local, regional, and national trends. Two and a half weeks later, this continues to be the situation. To date, about 46 students reported with ILI this semester; 15 of these students reported within the last week. Likewise, ILI reports from employees have increased in the last week. We continue to strongly encourage all Wheeling Jesuit students and employees to continue to practice caution and good hygiene when both on and off-campus.

Our University protocol for responding to the H1N1 outbreak remains strong. Ill students and employees have been quick to report flu-symptoms and are cooperatively self-isolating to best protect others. University employees are working diligently in responding to cases of ILI on a daily basis, including weekends and evenings. Questions regarding University response should be sent to christineog@wju.edu.

The University Pandemic Flu Team continues our planning with the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department to host a free H1N1 vaccination clinic on campus before the end of the semester; the clinic date is not known at this time. The clinic will likely be limited to Wheeling Jesuit students and employees age 24 and under; presentation of a campus ID will be required to receive the vaccination. We will notify the campus community once details are available.

October 27, 2009 - 2009 H1N1 Update

In the seven weeks from the start of the fall semester until our recent "fall break," we had a total of 13 reported cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) among students. Since the end of Fall Break (October 20 - 26) - in this last week alone - we've had 14 additional cases of ILI. This fast rise in ILI among our students mirrors local, regional, and national trends. Since many of these students became ill during fall break while they were off-campus, spread on campus was been minimized. We do expect, however, the number of WJU students experiencing ILI to continue to rise in the coming weeks. The University currently has 14 students in isolation while recovering from ILI; 13 students previously diagnosed with ILI have all fully recovered.

Given the recent rise in ILI among students, it is extremely important that community members continue to practice caution and good hygiene when both on and off-campus throughout the remainder of this semester. In addition, community members are encouraged to practice a "hands-off-the-face" approach - that is, resisting temptations to touch any part of your face to limit spread of germs from your hands to your mucous membranes (i.e. nose & mouth).

Our University protocol for responding to the H1N1 outbreak on campus remains sound and intact. Ill students are quick to report flu-symptoms to appropriate campus officials and are self-isolating to limit spread to others. University health, residence life, and physical plant staff are assessing, isolating, and caring for students for ILI, in addition to disinfecting student rooms and other commonly touched areas on campus, on a regular basis. The University Pandemic Flu Team is meeting this week to review the status of H1N1 on campus and to continue to plan for a H1N1 vaccination clinic on campus in either November or December. The exact date and time of the vaccination clinic is not known at this time; it is also unknown if persons over the age of 24 will be able to receive the vaccine on campus. We will notify the campus community of this information as soon as it is available from the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department.

October 16, 2009 - 2009 H1N1 Update

To date, our incidence of H1N1 flu on campus has been relatively low (13 cases of ILI in the last month).  However, the onset of Fall Break means that students are traveling off campus to other locations that are experiencing widespread influenza activity; this activity has been labeled by the CDC as "very unusual" for September and October. The CDC recently named 37 such states (http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/updates/us/). West Virginia is not on this list but all of our surrounding states are listed.

We strongly advise students spending Fall Break in communities with widespread flu activity to reconsider attending public social events, to continue to distance themselves from those who are ill, and to continue to practice good hygiene. Students coming down with flu symptoms in the next few days are asked to stay in touch with us via "iamsick@wju.edu"; professional staff will be monitoring this address throughout Fall Break to properly advise ill students on their return to campus.

Best wishes for a safe, healthy, and rejuvenating break.

October 12, 2009 - 2009 H1N1 (Swine flu) Update

Three additional students recently reported with influenza like illness (ILI); all are in isolation and are recovering. The University is working with the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department to coordinate a H1N1 flu vaccination clinic on campus for anyone under the age of 24 years old; this clinic will likely take place after October. It is not known at this time if persons over the age of 24 will also be able to receive the vaccine on campus.

October 8, 2009 - 2009 H1N1 (Swine flu) Update

Two additional students recently reported with influenza like illness (ILI); both are in isolation and are recovering. We continue to monitor a few other sick students on campus, but have not yet deemed those illness as ILI (there continue to be other illnesses on campus). Recent regional and national news media reports suggest that the number of ILI cases may be on the increase. Please continue to safeguard your health with good hygiene techniques and by social distancing yourself from anyone experiencing flu symptoms.

October 6, 2009 - 2009 H1N1 (Swine flu) Update

All students previously presenting with ILI are fully recovered and are resuming normal activities. We have no current cases of ILI on campus. Students and employees are strongly encouraged to continue to practice good hygiene and to self-report via "iamsick@wju.edu" or their work supervisors if they experience flu symptoms; doing so will help us to limit the spread of ILI on campus.

October 1, 2009 - 2009 H1N1 (Swine flu) Update

Two additional students have reported with influenza-like illness. Both are in isolation and are recovering.

September 29, 2009 - 2009 H1N1 (Swine flu) Update

Several students recently presented to campus officials with "influenza like illness" (ILI); three are currently in isolation and are recovering, one has fully recovered.

Medical professionals have advised us to no longer request to test individuals with ILI for the H1N1 flu virus; this test is costly, likely not covered by insurance, and largely unnecessary since the treatment and our campus protocol remains the same regardless of H1N1 confirmation - isolation, rest, lots of sleep, over the counter medications, and not resuming normal activity until 24 hours post-symptoms and post-medication. If students with ILI would like to get tested at an off-campus medical facility, we will work with them to request the testing.

We continue to identify and follow up with community members ill with ILI to ensure that they are isolated and can comfortably recover while limiting spread. Please stay tuned to www.wju.edu for regular updates.

We expect increases in the number of students and employees presenting with "influenza like illness" in the coming weeks; we will use email notification to the campus community for unusual activity and/or to indicate an increase in our level of University response. Again, for more regular updates, please refer to www.wju.edu.

Community members are reminded to report flu symptoms immediately (for students - via your residence life staff or "iamsick@wju.edu", for employees - via your supervisor and Human Resources). Please remember - the best line of defense remains prevention through good hygiene practices.

September 24, 2009 - 2009 H1N1 (Swine flu) Update: Two Cases with influenza-like illness (ILI).

To date, there are two cases with influenza-like illness (ILI) at Wheeling Jesuit. Both individuals have been assessed medically and isolated from campus; they are in recovery and we expect their safe return to campus next week.

Community members are reminded that the best line of defense against the flu virus is washing your hands with soap and warm water and using hand sanitizer whenever hand washing is not possible; diligent personal hygiene is the best prevention.

Students continue to report to the Health Center with general upper-respiratory symptoms (i.e., nasal congestions, sore throats) that are very common college student ailments and not necessarily related to the flu. Other illness are still existing in absence of being the flu. This being said, it is very important to be aware of flu symptoms and to report flu symptoms immediately (for students - via your residence life staff or "iamsick@wju.edu" , for employees - via your supervisor and Human Resources).

Our friends at MedExpress have given us a helpful resource to share that differentiates cold symptoms from flu symptoms. (Read handout) 

September 21, 2009 - 2009 H1N1 (Swine flu) Update

Late Friday, our first case of H1N1 flu on campus was confirmed by the local health department. The effected person, however, had been voluntarily isolated from campus since earlier in the week (as a precaution). This person has since fully recovered, is no longer contagious, and is resuming normal activities. Spread occurring from this one confirmed case would have most likely already resulted in flu symptoms in others; at the time of this writing, we are glad to report no such flu symptoms have been reported. We believe this person minimized spread shortly after their onset of flu symptoms by limiting contact with others, notifying campus officials, seeking medical attention immediately, and leaving campus to recover.

National reports are forecasting that the normal impact of the flu season and the compounding effects of 2009 H1N1 will be ongoing throughout this fall semester. It is likely that we are crossing paths with other persons who have had or who currently have H1N1 flu on regular basis, both on campus and off campus. As such, we strongly urge everyone at Wheeling Jesuit to continue to follow good hygiene practices, to immediately notify campus officials at the first onset of flu symptoms (students - please use the "iamsick@wju.edu" email account), and to self-isolate. The more proactive we are as a campus community, the more likely that we will minimize spread on campus and keep each other healthy; we've seen this happen already with our first confirmed case.

We will continue to post updates on www.wju.edu as our status on confirmed or suspected cases of 2009 H1N1 flu on campus changes.

September 18, 2009 - 2009 H1N1 flu (Swine flu) CONFIRMED

A case of the 2009 H1N1 flu (Swine flu) was confirmed in a member of the Wheeling Jesuit community. Symptoms were suspected earlier in the week and isolation procedures were followed. Our goal is to isolate the virus and to limit the spread. We will diligently monitor the campus over the weekend, continue to follow procedure, and provide an update on our website on Monday, September 21st.

Meanwhile, please refer to the poster for how to best protect yourself and read the letter from the nurse. Remember, prevention via good hygiene is the best medicine.

Letters to families of Wheeling Jesuit students were mailed earlier this week with more detailed information.

If a student, employee or family member has urgent concerns over the weekend regarding suspected cases of H1N1 flu on campus, please contact Campus Security at 304-243-2486; your contact information will be taken and a campus administrator will return your call.

September 4, 2009

Dear Wheeling Jesuit Community Member,

You know that the spread of the Swine flu (H1N1) has become an issue of concern. Wheeling Jesuit has worked hard to prepare our campus and community on how to manage the spread of this and any other type of flu virus; this includes monitoring outbreaks.

With the start of the academic year, many campuses across the country are reporting Swine flu cases - including a few of our neighbors in Pittsburgh and just yesterday, West Virginia University in Morgantown; reports are that this particular flu spreads quickly. The reality is that Wheeling Jesuit University, like other educational settings, will eventually have ill students and employees.

Contrary to impressions that you may receive from the media, the Swine flu is not any more dangerous or deadly than regular seasonal flu strains (the one that goes around every fall and that we've all gotten at some point in our lives). Ill students and employees will likely be sick for 5-7 days; after this time, they'll resume normal activities. (Read more...)