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DU Home > H1N1 Flu Update

H1N1 Flu Update

Dominican to offer very limited supply of H1N1 vaccines beginning November 17

The Dominican University Health and Wellness Center has recently received a very limited supply of 2009 H1N1 vaccine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We will be offering this vaccine, free of charge, starting Tuesday, November 17, 2009.

Due to the limited amount of vaccine available, we are recommending that the following groups of Dominican students receive the vaccine first:

• Pregnant students
• Students who are under 24 years of age AND have chronic medical conditions or weakened immune systems.
• Students who care for children under six months of age and/or are involved in healthcare internships.

If you are a student in the above bulleted categories and would like to receive the H1N1 vaccine, please call the Health and Wellness Center to make an appointment at (708) 524-6229. We will rely on your health record to document medical conditions which may place you in the CDC priority group.

If you have not already completed a health history form and submitted it to the Wellness Center, you can find it on the Wellness Center web page. If you wish to be vaccinated because you have a healthcare internship, or are a caregiver for infants under six months of age, please be prepared to verify with formal documentation.

If you wish to receive the H1N1 or seasonal flu vaccine and are not part of the CDC priority groups listed above, you may find information under “Flu Update” on the Wellness Center web page about obtaining the vaccination at a public health clinic near you.

As more vaccine becomes available, we can vaccinate additional students who fall within the CDC guidelines. This vaccine, which is not mandated but is offered on a voluntary basis, is manufactured similarly to seasonal flu vaccines and is expected to be as safe and effective as the seasonal vaccine.

More information on the H1N1 novel flu virus and vaccine is available at www.flu.gov.

Preventing the Spread of the Flu
As you may know, flu can be spread easily from person to person. Therefore, we are taking steps to prevent the spread of the virus at Dominican University, but we need your help to accomplish this.

Here are a few things you can do to help:

• Wash hands more frequently (26 seconds with soap and water) and use hand sanitizers which have been placed throughout campus and which should also be carried on your person.
• Use the new “cover your cough and sneeze” protocol; cough into your sleeve, NOT your hands.
• Use sanitizers and wipes before and after using common keyboards, desks and equipment.
• Get a seasonal flu vaccine from your doctor.
• Create a personal emergency plan – a way to return home if you become sick.

Know the signs and symptoms of flu.
Fever has been the most common indicator of flu, however, it might not be the most reliable indicator of H1N1. If you have a temperature over 100 degrees or the combination of the symptoms listed below, stay home! We strongly encourage you to consult the Wellness Center or your health-care provider if you have a sudden onset of these symptoms. Please do not risk infecting others, including your fellow students and colleagues by attending classes or coming on campus if you are potentially sick with this highly infectious, virulent strain of flu.
Other symptoms may include the sudden onset of:

• coughing
• sore throat
• runny or stuffy nose
• body aches, headaches, chills and fatigue.
• Some people also suffer from diarrhea and vomiting.

If you have the flu or think you have the flu:

• Stay home for at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever or the above symptoms without the use of medications. Strongly consider staying home for seven days, even if you feel better before that.
• Keep your distance from others as much as possible. Six feet is recommended.
• Report your illness to the Wellness Center so we can monitor flu cases at Dominican. You can use our online form or call the center at 708-524-6229.

Consider getting a vaccination
Talk with your health care provider about whether you should be vaccinated for seasonal flu or H1N1. Those at higher risk for 2009 H1N1 flu complications include people under 24 years old, pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, heart disease or diabetes.

All available supplies of the seasonal flu shots at the Wellness Center are depleted. The second half of our supply is on order but vendors are not able to commit to a shipping date due to H1N1 vaccination preparations. When they become available, the shots will cost $10. Students must call the Wellness Center at 708-524-6229 in advance to sign up for the shots.

If you wanted a flu shot and did not get one, you have a few other options. Locally, the pharmacy/clinics at Walgreens, Dominick’s and CVS are offering flu shots for $20 to $30, usually without an appointment. The CVS at Thatcher and North avenues offers flu shots on Wednesdays. You may also contact your own doctor’s office to get a flu shot.

The Wellness Center anticipates offering separate vaccination clinics later this fall for H1N1 flu, if and when those supplies become available to the university.

Stay tuned to our web site
Information about H1N1 changes frequently and will be posted on the Wellness Center web site. A campus-wide committee has been formed to advise the entire Dominican community about any major developments regarding the flu should the need arise. If classes need to be cancelled or if residence halls or the entire campus must be closed, information about these developments will be posted on this web site as well as the university web sites at www.dom.edu and myDU.

For up-to-date flu information, visit www.dominican.edu/wellness or www.flu.gov. To find out specific information about flu in our area, visit the Cook County Department of Public Health’s web site.