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H1N1 Vaccines Still Available for Elmhurst College Students

Free flu shots are being offered by appointment at the Wellness Center.

Posted on: November 18, 2009

A limited number of H1N1 vaccines are available to Elmhurst College students and staff member who belong to one of the high-risk priority groups identified by the Centers for Disease Control. Members of those groups who wish to be vaccinated should call the Wellness Center at 630-617-3565 to make an appointment.

The priority groups are:
• Pregnant women
• People who live with or provide care for infants younger than 6 months
• Health care and emergency medical personnel
• People 6 months through 24 years of age
• People 25 through 64 years of age with certain chronic medical conditions or a weakened immune system.  

For adults not belonging to one of the priority groups, additional H1N1 clinics will be scheduled in the weeks to come as more doses of the vaccine become available.

As influenza activity increases, all members of the Elmhurst College community are encouraged to increase their awareness of and to take steps to help control and prevent the spread of influenza, including H1N1.

“It’s important to educate yourself about the signs and symptoms and protect yourself with frequent handwashing, coughing into your sleeve to prevent spreading germs and taking other precautionary measures,” said Barbara Wittersheim, director of Student Health Services.

More on preventive measures can be found here.

Students with flu-like symptoms
If a student is experiencing flu-like symptoms, he or she will be sent home to receive care from a family physician. If that is not possible, the student can be moved to specially designated campus housing until he has recovered.

People who are sick are advised to stay home. Students, faculty or staff who live either on or off campus and who have flu-like symptoms should stay away from others in their residence hall or should stay at home until they have gone at least 24 hours without a fever, and without using fever-reducing drugs. This will help reduce the number of people who may get infected.

H1N1 vaccine
Elmhurst College has ordered the H1N1 vaccine, which will be available within the next few weeks.

In the meantime, healthy students who would like to get the H1N1 vaccine can make an appointment with the DuPage County Health Department.

The DuPage County Health Department has received H1N1 vaccines in the injectable and nasal-spray forms, and will be administering them to people who belong to the five priority populations (as determined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control) that should receive the novel H1N1 vaccine first.

Those priority populations include:

• All people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years
• Pregnant women
• Caregivers for children younger than 6 months
• Health-care and emergency medical services personnel
• People between 25 and 64 years old who have health conditions associated with a higher risk of medical complications from influenza.

The vaccines will be given at the health department’s clinics in Lombard, Wheaton and Westmont. To schedule an appointment, call (866) 311-1123. Here is the latest DuPage Health Dept. release and vaccination schedule.

H1N1 vaccines will also be made available at several local grocery and drug stores, including CVS, Dominick's, Jewel-Osco and Walgreens.

Symptoms
The symptoms of the H1N1 flu virus are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu and include a fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or greater), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache and feeling very tired. A significant number of people who have been infected with the H1N1 also have reported diarrhea and vomiting. If you have questions about the H1N1 flu virus, click here to download important information.

“If you develop any of the emergency symptoms—difficulty breathing, chest or abdominal pain, sudden dizziness, confusion, or severe vomiting—you should seek urgent care immediately,” Wittersheim said.

If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms but none of the emergency symptoms, please schedule an appointment with your own physician or make an appointment at the Wellness Center, at (630) 617-3565.

For more influenza information, please visit www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/ or www.flu.gov or call The Wellness Center at (630) 617-3565 and ask to speak with a nurse. If you have general questions about influenza or the flu vaccines, you may also call the DuPage County Health Department at (630) 682-7400 or visit www.protectdupage.org or www.cdc.gov/flu.

—Barbara Wittersheim, director of Student Health Services