Wednesday, April 29, 2009

To: NWHSU Students and Employees
From: Dr. Mark T. Zeigler, President
Subject: Swine Flu Update

On Sunday, April 26th a national public health emergency was declared because of confirmed swine flu cases in the United States.  This international outbreak appears to have started in Mexico.  As of this morning, 70 cases of swine flu had been confirmed in a number of states, including Minnesota.

Northwestern Health Sciences University’s administration is carefully monitoring the situation and will take precautionary measures as needed.  What can you do to protect yourself from this disease?

• Stay home from school or work if you feel sick and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.  Cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow if you don’t have a tissue.
• Wash your hands frequently with either an alcohol based hand cleanser, or soap and water.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• If you feel any of the following symptoms and have recently traveled to Mexico or portions of the US with confirmed cases of swine flu, contact your health provider:   Fever, usually high; muscle aches, sore throat, dry cough, extreme tiredness, runny/stuffy nose, stomach symptoms like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.  

Bottles of hand sanitizer and tissue will be distributed to public locations throughout campus.

More information is available from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The University will continue to provide updates as additional information becomes available.