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USF will teach online if swine flu forces closings
By LINDSAY PETERSON | The Tampa Tribune
Published: August 25, 2009
TAMPA - Even if the swine flu forces the University of South Florida to shut its doors, classes will go on, officials say.
With dire flu warnings coming from the government, USF officials are telling faculty members to be ready campus closings of up to six weeks. But they're making plans to hold classes through email, the internet service Skype or some other virtual method.
Classes started Monday, and already students are showing up at the student health center with flu-like symptoms, said medical director Egilda Terenzi. She didn't know how many but said the clinic plans to track students' symptoms.
Students with severe symptoms are getting antiviral medication, such as Tamiflu. The others are sent home with instructions to rest, stay away from other people, drink lots of fluids and return to the clinic if they have complications, such as trouble breathing or dehydration.
Over the summer, Terenzi's clinic saw a small but steady number of students with symptoms of swine flu, also known as H1N1.
"There is concern out there," she said. "We're trying to be as proactive as possible, getting the tips out there to everyone. We've met with people on the academic side to warn them of the possibility of higher than normal absenteeism."
The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology says as many as 1.8 million people in the United States could be hospitalized with the swine flu and 90,000 could die. That's more than twice the normal U.S. flu mortality rate.
Young people are more vulnerable to H1N1 than others. Many older people are protected because they were exposed to a similar strain that circulated before 1957.
The Centers for Disease Control said it may recommend closing university campuses if the flu begins to spread rapidly, but that decision would be weighed against the disruption a closure would cause.
The CDC said there are other ways to control the flu's spread, including keeping students' desks at least six feet apart.
Students moving into USF's residence halls last week were given several tips on how to protect themselves:
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough.
Wash your hands or use alcohol-based cleanser when you cough.
Avoid close contact with sick people.
Don't share cups and utensils with others.
More information for students is at http://www.usf.edu/h1n1/
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/aug/25/usf-will-teach-online-if-swine-flu-forces-closings/
By LINDSAY PETERSON | The Tampa Tribune
Published: August 25, 2009
TAMPA - Even if the swine flu forces the University of South Florida to shut its doors, classes will go on, officials say.
With dire flu warnings coming from the government, USF officials are telling faculty members to be ready campus closings of up to six weeks. But they're making plans to hold classes through email, the internet service Skype or some other virtual method.
Classes started Monday, and already students are showing up at the student health center with flu-like symptoms, said medical director Egilda Terenzi. She didn't know how many but said the clinic plans to track students' symptoms.
Students with severe symptoms are getting antiviral medication, such as Tamiflu. The others are sent home with instructions to rest, stay away from other people, drink lots of fluids and return to the clinic if they have complications, such as trouble breathing or dehydration.
Over the summer, Terenzi's clinic saw a small but steady number of students with symptoms of swine flu, also known as H1N1.
"There is concern out there," she said. "We're trying to be as proactive as possible, getting the tips out there to everyone. We've met with people on the academic side to warn them of the possibility of higher than normal absenteeism."
The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology says as many as 1.8 million people in the United States could be hospitalized with the swine flu and 90,000 could die. That's more than twice the normal U.S. flu mortality rate.
Young people are more vulnerable to H1N1 than others. Many older people are protected because they were exposed to a similar strain that circulated before 1957.
The Centers for Disease Control said it may recommend closing university campuses if the flu begins to spread rapidly, but that decision would be weighed against the disruption a closure would cause.
The CDC said there are other ways to control the flu's spread, including keeping students' desks at least six feet apart.
Students moving into USF's residence halls last week were given several tips on how to protect themselves:
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough.
Wash your hands or use alcohol-based cleanser when you cough.
Avoid close contact with sick people.
Don't share cups and utensils with others.
More information for students is at http://www.usf.edu/h1n1/
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/aug/25/usf-will-teach-online-if-swine-flu-forces-closings/