Letter to BPC about the flu

The following letter was sent out last week regarding the flu season. Hand sanitizers have been purchased and placed in all BPC dorms and buildings. An influenza symptoms flyer will be placed in all campus mailboxes and emailed campus wide.

"Dear students, faculty, staff and parents:

Fall semester 2009 has had a great start for our campus. With record numbers of new students, we will keep you very busy with classes and activities. We also want to offer recommendations to stay healthy throughout the year. As you may know, flu season is fast approaching. We are taking steps to prevent the spread of flu at Brewton-Parker College for as long as possible, but, we need your help to accomplish this.

We are working closely with the South Central Health District, CDC and BPC infirmary to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take concerning our institution. We will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available to us. For now, we are doing everything we can to keep our institution operating as usual. Here are a few things you can do to help:

1. Practice good hygiene by washing your hands with soap and water. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective, and available across campus.

2. Practice respiratory etiquette by covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough and sneeze. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder, not into your hands. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth; germs spread this way.

3. Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. A fever is a temperature taken with a thermometer that is equal to or greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Look for possible signs of fever: if the person feels very warm, has flushed appearance, or is sweating or shivering.

4. Stay home if you have the flu or flu-like illness for at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever or signs of a fever. This should be determined without the use of fever-reducing medications. Don't go to class or work.

5. Talk to your health care providers about whether you should be vaccinated for seasonal flu. Also, if you are at higher risk for flu complications from 2009 H1N1 flu, you should consider getting the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available. For information about priority groups for vaccination, visit www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination.

For more information about the flu in our community and what Brewton-Parker College is doing, visit BPC website or call BPC Student Affairs office at 912-583-3206. We will notify you by email, institutional Website, and BPC's pages on Facebook and Twitter, of any additional changes to our institution's strategy to prevent the spread of flu on our campus.

Sincerely,

Sherrie Helms
Dean of Students"