Students getting swine flu lessons
By DAVE GOSSETT, Staff writerArticle Photos
STEUBENVILLE - It is the first full week of classes at Franciscan University of Steubenville, and Joe Loizzo already has been e-mailing assurances to parents concerned about the possibility of swine flu on the local campus.
"I have already answered two e-mails this morning from parents. We are telling the parents of our students that we are following the basic guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and that we are cooperating and working closely with our local city and county health departments," explained Loizzo, director of the university's Wellness Center.
Loizzo, along with Diann Schmitt, a registered nurse and associate director of the Wellness Center, have been busy since students returned to the campus last week educating them on the need to take precautions to avoid the H1N1 virus.
"We have signs in every residence hall and public building on campus urging everyone to wash their hands regularly and to avoid sneezing and coughing on other people," noted Loizzo.
The proactive approach to the possibility of swine flu on the Franciscan University of Steubenville campus is being mirrored at other local college campuses.
Reid Amos, executive director of the office of communications at West Liberty University, said officials there "are monitoring swine flu transnationally as well as regionally."
"We are leveraging the resources made available to institutions of higher education by the Centers for Disease Control in order to be prepared for the possibility of swine flu coming to our campus," said Amos.
Bethany College officials are working with the Brooke County Health Department and will offer regular flu vaccinations as well as H1N1 flu vaccinations if the medicine is made available to the college.
"We have already seen a fairly large number of students sign up for the regular flu shots, which we will be administering soon. And we are following the recommendations issued by the Centers for Disease Control for the H1N1 virus. If we receive the H1N1 vaccines we will administer them to the students," said Elizabeth deJong, dean of students at Bethany College.
"And we are issuing the standard preventive guidelines to all students and staff outlining coughing and sneezing into their arms. Preventive education is the biggest thing right now for us," added deJong.
Steve Woodburn, dean of the Wheeling campus of West Virginia Northern Regional Community College, said planning for a health disaster actually began more than a year ago when the MRSA infection was occurring on college campuses.
"We actually started preparing for problems at that point and began e-mailing to staff and students. We are updating our communications and are preparing for all possibilities. We are also talking about the need to take proper precautions," noted Woodburn.
And officials at the three regional campuses of WVNCC are planning for a worse-case scenario that could involve teaching using the Internet.
"We have instructed our faculty and staff to find another way to deliver the course material using different Web tools if we are forced to shut down one or more of our campuses. We would take the lead from our local health departments on shutting down a campus. And it would have to be a significantly serious outbreak locally to result in a shutdown," explained Woodburn.
At Jefferson Community College in Steubenville, officials there are following guidelines. According to Ann Koon, spokesperson for JCC, "we are following all recommendations from the Ohio Board of Regents and the Centers for Disease Control, and we are working closely with our local health departments."
"We are sending out regular updates on the need to properly sanitize, and if a case of swine flu is determined, we will communicate immediately with our students via e-mails," added Koon.
Loizzo said officials at Franciscan University of Steubenville are well aware of the students who come to the campus from every state in the union.
"We can't tell those students to go home if they get sick. So we take extra steps to treat them here. Our wellness center is open five days a week, and we strongly encourage students who feel sick to come and see a nurse here immediately," said Loizzo.
"If a student feels sick we will encourage them to isolate themselves. Food will be brought to their residence hall room, and if necessary we will temporarily house roommates in a different location. We also ask any student who feels sick to keep their distance from others," commented Loizzo.
"We have already been busy at the health center so far this year, but it is has been mostly allergies, bee stings and sports-related injuries. But we are also educating our students on the ways to avoid swine flu as well as regular flu. First of all we encourage all students and staff to get a regular flu vaccination," said Schmitt.
"Try to avoid close contact with sick people and if you are sick, try to stay at home for at least 24 hours after you are free of fever. And please cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing and dispose of tissues properly. Wash your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer," Schmitt continued.
"Seek assistance at the health center at the first signs of illness," stressed Schmitt.
Loizzo said university officials bought jugs of hand sanitizer during the several summer conferences held on the campus.
"We were encouraging all conference participants to sanitize their hands on a regular basis. We will make the same effort throughout the school year with our students and staff," Loizzo said.
"We are also urging students to dress properly for the weather. I see students still wearing shorts and flip-flops when it is snowing outside. We all need to use common sense to avoid becoming a flu victim this year," he noted.
"We are well aware of the number of students who are on our campus every day and living in our residence halls. We work on a regular basis with our local health departments and check all sources of information for the latest updates. We will stay prepared," stated Loizzo.
So far three known cases of swine flu have been officially reported in Jefferson County.
Two swine flu cases were confirmed in June in Steubenville but weren't considered dangerous. A third case was announced in August by Jefferson County Health Commissioner Dr. Frank Petrola.
(Gossett can be contacted at dgossett@heraldstaronline.com.)
