As the novel H1N1 (earlier referred to as "swine flu") outbreak threatens to grow in the United States and internationally, College of the Canyons urges all students and staff to take precautionary steps to safeguard their health and prevent the spread of this virus.

There are everyday actions you 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 hand cleaners are also effective if you rub your hands together until they are dry.
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  Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
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  Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
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  Influenza is thought to spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
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  If you get sick, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. Stay home until you have no fever for 24 hours (without using ibuprofen, acetaminophen, etc. to lower your temperature). If you are 18 or younger, do not use aspirin to treat fever.

Know the symptoms.

• H1N1 symptoms are similar to those of seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.
• A significant number of people who have been infected with novel H1N1 flu virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting.
• The high-risk groups for novel H1N1 flu are not the same as for seasonal influenza. H1N1 flu has a greater impact on younger people, so the first groups targeted to receive the new H1N1 vaccine will be children 6 months to 24 years of age, pregnant women, caregivers of children, and health care providers. Once these groups are vaccinated, others will get the vaccine.
• People at higher risk of serious complications from seasonal flu include people age 65 and older, children younger than 5, pregnant women, people of any age with chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease), and people who are immunosuppressed (e.g., taking immunosuppressive medications, infected with HIV). Many people are in high-risk groups for both seasonal and H1N1 flu, so they will need both types of influenza vaccine this year.

Get your seasonal flu shot as soon as it is available.
• The H1N1 flu vaccine is not scheduled to arrive at clinics until mid-October at the earliest.
What to do if you have symptoms
The CDC is monitoring the situation and providing frequent updates:
CDC H1N1 Site

Links to additional Information:
Flu.gov

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