Fall 2011 Newsletter
Student Health Services Health News - Fall 2011
It’s a new school year again, time for students to buckle down with the books and learn something. With the fun of college comes the privilege of being stuck in an enclosed room for hours every day with other students who come to class sick. However, this is a trend we would like to stop, because if you are sick when you come on campus, you might pass your sickness on to others without intending to.
Here’s what to do to keep your classroom from being the source of the next campus epidemic:
- If you have a fever or can’t control your cough, see the doctor before coming to school. Fever and coughing usually mean your illness is contagious. Coughing can pass the germ to everyone within about a three foot radius.
- If you have vomiting or diarrhea, see your doctor. Please don’t go to class if you’re not sure whether the food you just ate will stay where it belongs.
- For milder illnesses, try to cough or sneeze inside your elbow instead of on your hands. Use and discard tissues in the trash, and carry hand sanitizer to clean your hands afterwards, so you don’t get your germs all over the door handle for the next person to pick up.
- If you are seen by our practitioners, we offer excuses when you should not be attending class. We also encourage professors to work with students who have contagious illnesses, allowing them to make up work when they return so they won’t feel obligated to attend class while they are contagious.
Be kind to those around you. Keep germs at home where they belong. Everyone will thank you for it.