There's nothing like peer pressure to keep us on our toes. That's why we recommend that you choose and watch a version of the movie below. Have fun with it and score yourselves on your coughing techniques!
Most or all of you are aware that a variation of a swine flu has affected several countries, including the U.S. As of Sunday, April 26 at 9 a.m., twenty cases in five states had been reported in the U.S. but none in Virginia. We are monitoring the progress of this outbreak through the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and other agencies. We will update the College community as we learn more but, at this time, it seems the most effective advice is to continue good health practices. The following advice comes from the CDC web site:
What You Can Do to Stay Healthy There are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
If you are interested in learning more, including the successes of antiviral medications with swine flu in the past, CDC has a series of web pages on this subject you can access at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/. You can also find out more information on the VDH web site at http://www.vdh.state.va.us/.
Richard L. (Rick) Brehm
VP for Administrative Service
