Health & Wellness Services has received a limited number of H1N1 vaccine doses.  The office will be administering the vaccine according to CDC recommendations.  Therefore, the vaccine will be available to those students who are at high risk.  High risk criteria includes but is not limited to those students with: asthma (moderate to severe on daily therapy), other lung disease, diabetes, are immune compromised, or pregnant.  
If you are not sure if you meet this criteria please call Health & Wellness Services (617-573-8260) or your primary health care provider for more information. 
You may also consider alternative sources for the flu vaccine, like your own doctor from home or sites throughout the City of Boston.  Click here for more information on where you can receive the flu vaccine in the city.

 

Please refer to the links below and at the right to learn more about seasonal and H1N1 flu.

The Centers for Disease Control and the Boston Public Health Commission strongly recommend the following ways to help you to keep from getting sick with the seasonal or H1N1 flu:

	Practice good hand hygiene!	Wash your hands often with soap and water (about 20 seconds), especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol -based hand cleaners are also effective.
	Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.	If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow, sleeve or shoulder; not into your hands!
	Don’t touch!	Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
	Clean your living/working quarters often!	If you live together with other students or work in an office, you should frequently clean commonly-used surfaces such as doorknobs, refrigerator handles, remote controls, computer keyboards, countertops, faucet handles, and bathroom areas.  A list of good products to use can be found here.
	Talk to your health care provider about getting vaccinated.	To find out if you should be vaccinated for seasonal flu and/or 2009 H1N1 flu. Information about 2009 H1N1 flu vaccination can be found at: www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination. Information about seasonal flu vaccine can be found at: www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm
	Avoid close contact and stay home if you are sick.	It is recommended that you stay at home for 4 days after you first get sick OR for 24 hours after your symptoms (including fever) have gone away, whichever is longer. Staying away from others while sick can prevent others from getting sick.

 

Cold versus Flu

The flu and the common cold are both respiratory illnesses but they are caused by different viruses. Because these two types of illnesses have similar flu-like symptoms, it can be difficult to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone. In general, the flu is worse than the common cold, and symptoms such as fever, body aches, extreme tiredness, and dry cough are more common and intense. Colds are usually milder than the flu. People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose. Colds generally do not result in serious health problems, such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, or hospitalizations.
Click here for a symptom and treatment comparison.

 

Seasonal Flu

Seasonal flu basics (disease, viruses, 2009-10 flu season)
Preventing seasonal flu (vaccination, health habits, antivirals)
What to do if you get sick  (symptoms, treatment, taking care of yourself)  

 

Download

Suffolk’s "Be A Flu Fighter" Bulletin Board

Use the links below to create your own office bulletin board! Use all or part of it. 
Headline
Website
Content/ Flyers
Cold or Flu?
What Do I Do If I Get The Flu?
Symptom Checklist
H1N1 Fact Sheet
The Flu, A Guide for Parents

 

Printable Posters and Flyers:

Suffolk’s "Be a Flu Fighter"
 "Cover Your Cough" (CDC)
"Got Hands?  Got Cough?  Got Fever?" (BPHC)
"Be A Germ Stopper" (CDC)
"Stop! Do You Feel Sick?" (CDC)
"Did You Wash Your Hands?" (MA DPH)
"Have U Washed Your Hands 2Day?" (washup.org)        

 

Printable Brochures:

"Flu, What you Can Do. Caring for People at Home" (MA DPH)
"Wash Your Hands" (MA DPH)
"Don’t Get Caught Dirty Handed" (washup.org)
"Cover Your Cough" (MN DH)

 

Fact Sheets:

Handwashing (MA DPH)
Public Health Fact Sheet: H1N1 Flu (MA DPH)
Public Health Fact Sheet: Seasonal Flu (MA DPH)
The Flu: A Guide for Parents (CDC)
Flu Vaccines and Vaccine Safety (MA DPH)
Coping With The Stress of H1N1 Flu (MA DPH)

 

Videos:

"Why Don’t We Do It In Our Sleeves?" (coughsafe.com)
"Cough And Keep It To Yourself" (BPHC)
 "Clean Hands" (BPHC)
 "Sick Day" (5thguy.com)
"Cougher" (5thguy.com)

 

Additional Resources

http://www.flu.gov/  One-stop access to U.S. Government H1N1, avian and pandemic flu information.