Flu Shot Clinics on Campus

One of the surest ways to avoid getting the flu - and spreading it - is to get a flu shot. This week, University of Arizona students and employees will have a chance to get vaccinated against seasonal flu at several clinics being held on campus.

Drive-Through Clinic for Employees and Students
Get your flu shot without leaving your car by participating in a drive-through flu shot clinic being held by the Campus Health Service in collaboration with other UA departments on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 9 a.m. to noon. To get to the clinic area, head east on Second Street from Park Avenue. Because this is a drive-through clinic, you'll stay in your vehicle from start to finish. And if you're one of the first 200 participants, you'll get a free flu prevention kit.

Walk-Up Flu Shot Clinics for Students
Students will be able to get their seasonal flu shots between classes by stopping at one of several clinics being offered by the Campus Health Service this week:

MONDAY
8 a.m.-5 p.m. McKale Memorial Center (this clinic is intended for student-athletes)
9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Harvill
2-6 p.m. Physics-Atmospheric Sciences

TUESDAY
12-3 p.m. Arizona Health Sciences Center, Campus Health Service clinic (this clinic is intended for medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health students)

WEDNESDAY
11 a.m.-1 p.m. UA Mall, in front of Student Union

THURSDAY
10:45 a.m.-2 p.m. Old Main, west side

FRIDAY
8:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Integrated Learning Center
2-4:15 p.m. Biological Sciences East

For the drive-through and walk-up clinics, please note the following information:
Bring your CatCard.
Employees who bring their insurance cards and employee ID numbers will not be charged for the shots. Those who don't will be charged $15, payable with cash, Visa/MasterCard or check with picture ID.
Receipts will be given for those who wish to submit them to insurance companies for reimbursement.
Wear a short-sleeved shirt.
At this time, only seasonal flu shots are available.
Students must be at least 18 years old to get vaccinated.

If you have questions about the drive-through clinic, please contact Mona Arora at manand@email.arizona.edu. Questions about the walk-up clinics should be sent to Shari Overland at overland@health.arizona.edu.For more information about preventing the flu, please visit the Campus Health Service flu page, www.health.arizona.edu/webfiles/flunews.htm, and the UA Campus Emergency Response Team site, http://cert.arizona.edu/h1n1_news.html

National Hazing Prevention Week

National Hazing Prevention Week is observed on campuses and within organizations each year during the last week of September (or another time that is more convenient). Activities range from brown bag lunch discussions among faculty to movie or book discussions with students; training for organizational and team leaders, to the signing of anti-hazing pledges. Some plan an entire week of activities and programs and some simply plan one or two meaningful programs. Whatever you do, the important thing is to DO SOMETHING!

Utilizing a national awareness week is a great way to bring attention to the problem of hazing locally; to educate parents, faculty and staff, students, community members, local and campus police and others so they can more easily recognize hazing - and more importantly - have the skills to intervene, when hazing occurs.

The ultimate goal of these efforts, however, is to prevent hazing from happening in the first place. That goal will only be accomplished through strong educational efforts, diligent policy enforcement and comprehensive and on-going efforts on each campus and within all organizations. For more information, visit www.hazingprevention.org.

H1N1 Pandemic Influenza Contingency Planning

A message from Harry McDermott, MD, MPH, Executive Director for Campus

In support of making your UA experience a healthy one this year, we need
 your assistance in addressing the pandemic flu that has arrived on the UA 
campus already this fall semester. We have been seeing cases of flu since 
the first week of the semester and are expecting the number of cases to
 rise in the coming weeks.

A pandemic flu vaccine will likely be available later in the fall (October or November), but for at least the beginning if not most of the pandemic
 flu outbreak we will be relying on people who become ill with the flu to 
stay home to help reduce the spread of this virus. 


As part of this effort, I would ask that UA students who develop symptoms
 of the flu (fever over 100.0, cough, body aches, sore throat) stay on home
 or room based isolation until they have no fever (without the use of fever
 reducing medication) for 24 hours. This type of action will reduce the
 chances that students will spread the flu to others on campus or where they
 live. The Centers for Disease Control recommends this length of social
 distancing for those ill with the flu to reduce the spread of this virus. 



For those students living on campus or in a Greek chapter house who come 
down with the flu, plans for caring for those students and their roommates
 have been developed in collaboration with Residence Life staff and
 fraternity and sorority advisors and House Directors. 
Academic departments will also be asked to accommodate students who need to
 be out of classes due to influenza and to help them stay connected and
 up-to-date on their course work through phone, Internet and email 
communications. If students become ill with the flu, it will be their
 responsibility to initiate and maintain communications with their
 instructors. 



The UA has been working on a pandemic response plan for three years now, 
with each department creating contingency plans for responding to a
 pandemic outbreak in the campus and Tucson communities. If we all work
 together, we will have a better chance of reducing the impact of the H1N1
flu pandemic on those learning, living and working in the UA community.
 Thank you very much for your attention to this information and your 
willingness to consider and act upon these infection control
 recommendations. 



Important flu information



The best ways to avoid coming down with the flu include:



* Washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective. 



* Avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way. 



* Keeping your immune system healthy: get plenty of rest, engage in physical activity, manage your stress,
 drink plenty of water and eat healthy foods. 
Flu symptoms include fever (over 100 degrees), cough, 
body aches, sore throat, and some times runny nose or vomiting and 
diarrhea – see www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/sick.htm


* If you live in a residence hall, notify the Community Resident Assistant or front office, or if you live in a sorority or fraternity, notify the House Director or Greek Health Advocate and isolate yourself in your room.



* Maintain a distance of six feet from your roommate(s) if possible.



* Cover your cough or sneeze with your sleeve and wear a surgical mask when your roommate is in the room.



* Wash your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. 



* Call the Campus Health Service (please call before coming in) if you have: 



- A fever of 102.5 or higher or you run a lower fever
 (fever is being defined as a body temperature of 100.0 or greater) for more than three days, 


- A severe cough, shortness of breath and/or chest pain, nausea and vomiting, 


- A severe headache or you feel you need to be seen at the clinic.



The phone number for the Campus Health Triage Nurse is 621-6493 or the
 After Hours On Call Provider at 570-7898. 



Other resources: 



• UA Campus Health Service www.health.arizona.edu
(Go to the Hot Topics section or the flu link near the top of the home
page.)



• Pima County Health Department 
www.pimahealth.org


• Centers for Disease Control www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

UAPD offers bike safety classes

There are between 10,000 and 11,000 bicyclists on the University of Arizona campus during any given weekday. Understanding and complying with traffic laws as they apply to bicyclists is crucial in promoting a campus environment which supports safe travel for everyone. The University of Arizona Police Department in cooperation with Parking and Transportation Services would like to take this opportunity to invite you to participate in a Bicycle Safety and Education Campaign.

The Bicycle Safety and Education Campaign aims to educate community members on bicycle traffic laws and provide important tips for safeguarding bicycles against theft. The UAPD and Parking and Transportation personnel will be stationed at the following locations over the course of the next few weeks in support of the campaign:

September 16, 2009 (Wednesday): 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (University/Cherry)

September 22, 2009 (Tuesday): 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (University/Cherry)

September 23, 2009 (Wednesday): 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (Highland/4th)

October 1, 2009 (Thursday): 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (Olive/2nd)

We will be offering free bicycle registration services and selling U-locks for $15.00 (cash or check) at these events. Additionally, we will be providing important information on bicycle traffic laws, theft prevention and crime reporting. Please support this campaign and help us make the campus a safer place to travel. If you have any questions concerning these events, please contact the University of Arizona Police Department Crime Prevention Unit at 520-621-4219.

An online shopping list offers items to help flu victims living on campus feel better while recuperating.

The University of Arizona is offering "Flu Care Kits" to all students living in the school's residence halls to help them while they are ill with flu symptoms.

Each kit includes a variety of items including Gatorade, water, chicken-noodle soup, chamomile tea, crackers and mac & cheese. There's also disposable thermometers and 8 oz. containers of hand sanitizer available.

Flu-preparedness is especially important this coming year with the expected resurgence of the H1N1 flu virus. The Flu Care Kits are specifically designed for residence hall students who are ill with flu-like symptoms and need to stay isolated in their residence hall room as recommended by public health authorities.

Students who are experiencing flu-like symptoms are encouraged to order their Flu Care Kit as soon as possible by calling 520-621-7038 any day of the week between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. to place their order.

Order forms for the kits include prices for items in the kits. The forms are available online.

Within three hours of order being placed, a Flu Care Kit will be delivered free of charge to any UA residence hall during regular hall hours. Kits also can be purchased and picked up anytime, day or night, including weekends at the UA Highland Market, located at Sixth Street and Highland.

All items in the Flu Care Kit are provided at reduced cost to UA students as part of joint partnership between the Arizona Student Unions, Campus Health and Residence Life.

H1N1 Update from the Office of the President

What are your thoughts?

Members of the UA Community,

With the fall 2009 semester now in full swing at The University of Arizona, many members of the extended UA community have expressed concern about how the H1N1 influenza virus, commonly referred to as the H1N1 flu, may affect our students, faculty and staff. I am writing to address those concerns.

We are prepared
Last year, key UA personnel completed a comprehensive pandemic management plan, which can be viewed at:http://cert.arizona.edu/pandemic_plan.html. We now are implementing appropriate provisions of this plan, particularly those involving communications on how to avoid, or if necessary, treat the flu.

At all times, we take guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tells us that this flu is contagious, but generally milder than annual seasonal flu strains we deal with every year. The CDC has issued a set of guidelines for universities and colleges that minimize the spread of this virus in tight living quarters like residence halls and Greek houses. To see the CDC's guidelines for universities, click here:www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/institutions/guidance.

UA status
So far this semester, the UA Campus Health Service has encountered 19 students who tested positive for flu. Of those, H1N1 flu was confirmed in 13 cases. In all cases, the students' flu symptoms were mild to moderate. None required hospitalization and all students are recovering or have fully recovered.

It is possible that the UA will report higher rates of H1N1 flu than other universities or large institutions, but it will not necessarily mean we are actually experiencing more H1N1 flu than elsewhere. Rather, higher numbers of flu may be reported simply because we are testing more cases for H1N1 flu than other institutions may be. We are doing this at the request of the Pima County Health Department, to help them track the spread of the virus in this area.

Looking ahead
We expect to learn of many more cases among students, faculty and staff as the semester progresses, and we are ready to respond appropriately. To date, we have communicated to students, parents and employees about what they should do to minimize the chances of contracting the flu, as well as how best to treat it, if necessary. Those communications will continue as long as H1N1 flu is present on campus.

Currently, we are ready in the event students living in campus housing contract the flu, and we will implement CDC guidelines on how to minimize the spread of the illness. For instance, affected students may be provided masks to wear, and food may be brought to their rooms so that they can eat without risk of exposing others in campus dining facilities.

We are told to expect delivery of vaccines for this flu by late October. Seasonal flu shots are available now, and it is recommended that everyone get those shots now to protect against contracting seasonal flu. It is important to get both immunizations, as shots for one flu type will not protect against getting the other.

What you can do
There are many things that each of us can do to prevent the spread of this virus. The first recommendation is what not to do: Do not panic. We expect this flu to be widespread but comparatively mild, and we can take simple and familiar steps to minimize its spread.

As always, remember: Wash your hands frequently, sneeze into your sleeve and not your hands, and if you feel sick, stay away from campus until your fever has been gone for 24 hours. I have directed UA units to examine how we can minimize disruptions or hardships that time away from classes or work might cause, because of utmost importance is to do whatever is needed to minimize the spread of the virus.

Stay informed
Updates on the H1N1 flu virus at the UA can be found athttp://cert.arizona.edu/h1n1_news.html. Check back frequently for updates.

Above all, here's to good health and a great semester.

Spring Break and Travel

What are your thoughts?????

Spring Break Travel Alert

Every student should be aware that Mexico in general has seen a marked increase in violence recently. The U.S. Department of State has posted a Travel Alert regarding travel in Mexico which is in effect until April 2009. (http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_3028.html).
The Travel Alert describes recent violence, and provides guidance and additional links concerning travel in Mexico. All students considering travel to Mexico are urged to review this information, which is available at: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_3028.html. The University of Arizona Dean of Students Office encourages all students to consider traveling elsewhere for spring break.

The State Department website includes extensive guidance for U.S. citizens traveling and living in Mexico. See: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html for this information. Criminal activity in Mexico has not just increased in recent months, but also has begun to spread into popular tourist destinations. Specific guidance is also available concerning Spring Break travel in Mexico at: (http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/spring_break_mexico/spring_break_mexico_2812.html).

What are Travel Alerts?
As the name suggests, State Department travel alerts display a list of countries that the US Government considers un-safe for its citizens. From the U.S. State Department website: Travel Alerts are issued to disseminate information about short-term conditions, generally within a particular country, that pose imminent risks to the security of U.S. citizens. Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, coups, anniversaries of terrorist events, election-related demonstrations or violence, and high-profile events such as international conferences or regional sports events are examples of conditions that might generate a Travel Alert.


IF you choose to travel
If you choose to travel to Mexico for spring break, we highly encourage you to consider the following resources, tips, and suggestions to increase your safety.

Spring Break Safety Related Programs:
ü 3/1/09: Fraternity and Sorority Programs (FSP) will host the second annual Hunter White Safe Spring Break Program on March 1st in the Student Union Memorial Center Ballroom. The program will begin at 1pm and is open to the entire campus community. Mark Sterner’s presentation entitled “DUI: A Powerful Lesson” is a very poignant story about Mark’s tragic experience as an undergraduate student during his spring break.

ü 3/6/09: Associated Students of the University of Arizona, Dean of Students, and University of Arizona Police Department will host the spring break safety event on March 6 from 11-2pm on the mall.