H1N1 at Keene State College

Keene State College officials are urging any students with H1N1 flu-like symptoms to stay away from campus, isolate themselves, and if possible, to just go home to ride it out.
That is a lot easier said than done for some students who travel to KSC from their hometowns in other states. Students from outside of New England might find it harder to make future plans for something that might not affect them at all.
According to Christine Burke, Director of the Heath and Wellness Center at KSC, students who can go home when ill should make arrangements to do so as soon as possible. But for those whose hometown is further away than others may not have that luxury.
Burke said, “When people get sick it’s not for a long period of time…it usually last about three to five days. Isolation is our strategy.”
Burke recommends that students have an emergency pack of supplies in case they suddenly get sick. “The pack should have things like soup, Gatorade, and a thermometer to keep them going.”
“We really need our recommendations to be followed,” Burke urged to students.
Although students are supposed not to go to the health clinic on campus when coming down with symptoms because they may infect more people, they are urged to call the clinic for instructions on how to take care of themselves during this time.
Students with chronic physical ailments such as asthma, diabetes, Crohn’s disease, pregnancy or transplants along with the flu may be urged to go in and visit the clinic or go to the hospital.
Burke also said if one roommate is sick and can not go home, the other roommate should treat it as if a sibling or parent is sick while they are at home.
They should make sure to wash their hands constantly, use hand sanitizer, use anti-bacterial spray or wipes, and have the roommate wear a mask when he or she is up and around.
According to Burke, the germs can only survive 2-3 hours on hard surfaces and is a hand to hand virus.
If someone living on campus can not leave, Burke said there are up to thirty isolated beds available in dorms on campus that they can move into. Though, this does not mean they will have any campus personal checking up on them, it is just an isolated place to stay for the time they are sick.
Burke suggests putting together a buddy system so if someone is sick, there will always be someone to check in on them sporadically to see how they are feeling or if they need anything.
The H1N1 virus carries all the same symptoms of the common seasonal flu, except there have been reports of nausea and diarrhea.


H1N1 Symptoms
• Sudden onset- the fever will be in full force within hours
• Fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
• Sore throat and/or cough
• Body ache/headache
• Chills/hot sweats

• Nausea and/or diarrhea