Columbia officials have one message for students—wash your hands.
As flu season quickly approaches, the University has launched a campaign to stymie the potential spread of the H1N1 virus on campus. Through e-mails to students, letters home to parents, and campus fliers encouraging “preventive hygiene,” Columbia hopes that health education—as well as newly installed public hand sanitizing dispensers—will mitigate transmission of the disease.
There are no changes to University operations, according to the Pandemic Flu Response page, and an e-mail that said that Student Affairs, Housing and Dining Services, and Health Services have been working together since the spring swine flu outbreak. A letter to Barnard students reported that the dining halls have been adjusting food service, and that a college emergency management team would continue meeting in the fall to make preparations.
A Teachers College student was diagnosed with Type A Influenza in April, an illness that has been linked to swine flu.
The University plans to continue offering seasonal influenza vaccines. The H1N1 vaccine is still in development and may be available this fall—though future vaccine distribution regulations, as Columbia officials pointed out, remain to be seen.
And if you’re ever in doubt, please stay home. University officials wrote in a letter to students, “In fact, if your family lives within commuting distance, it is best for you to recuperate at home. If you stay on campus, you should remain in your residence hall room, and Housing and Dining can help provide services while you recover.”
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