H1N1 Frequently Asked Questions
- What should I do to stay well?
- What are the symptoms of H1N1?
- Are there populations that are at a higher risk of infection of H1N1?
- What should I do if I think I might have H1N1?
- If I have an influenza like illness what can I do to take care of myself?
- How do I decrease my chances of infecting others?
- How long am I considered contagious?
- Should I wear a mask to protect myself from getting an influenza like illness?
- What is the risk to roommates if one roomate has an influenza like illness?
- What about participating in "swine flu parties," or exposing myself to the flu, is this a good idea?
- Can I get a "doctor's" note to verify my illness for my missed classes or to get the "okay" to return to class?
- If I get the H1N1 vaccine, do I still need to get the seasonal flu vaccine?
- Can you get the H1N1 flu more than once?
- Do I need to get the H1N1 vaccine if I have had influenza like illness?
- Questions on H1N1 Vaccine
What should I do to stay well?
- AVOID CLOSE CONTACT
As much as possible, avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too. - STAY HOME WHEN YOU ARE SICK
Remain in your place of residence (home, residence hall room, apartment, etc.). You should not go to classes, work or participate in social activities. Not going to public places will help prevent others from catching your illness. - COVER YOUR MOUTH AND NOSE
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing or cough into your elbow or shoulder. Don’t forget to dispose of your tissues properly! - WASH YOUR HANDS OFTEN WITH SOAP AND WATER
You can pick up germs/viruses through shaking hands, touching doorknobs, phones, computers, etc. Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs/viruses. Wash your hands with soap and water or with an alcohol-based (at least 60%) hand gel regularly. There is no need to use antibacterial soap or hand cleansers; in fact, these items are often expensive and are not as effective in killing germs/viruses as soap and water. Remember, count to 20 while washing or sing “Happy Birthday Song.” twice. Wash all surfaces of your hands thoroughly (fingers, between fingers, palms, back of hands and wrists). - DON’T SHARE
Don’t share towels, eating utensils, toothbrushes, drinking glasses or other items that may spread germs. This is the one time in your life when you are told you shouldn’t share. Remember, even if someone is not sick at the time of sharing, he or she may still be contagious for flu or cold that can develop into symptoms the next day. - AVOID TOUCHING YOUR EYES, NOSE OR MOUTH
Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. - TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
Try to eat healthy meals and get enough sleep and manage your stress.
Get the seasonal flu vaccine and the H1N1 vaccine, when available.
What are the symptoms of H1N1?
The symptoms of H1N1 flu virus are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu and can include fever (greater than 100°F), sore throat, cough, runny or stuffy nose, chills, fatigue, headache, body aches. A significant number of people who have been infected with the H1N1 virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting.
Severe complications sometimes occur and may be more likely in people with underlying medical conditions.
Are there populations that are at a higher risk of infection?
Individuals at increased risk of illness severity include persons with certain chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease, pregnant women, immunosuppressed and children younger than 5 years of age. These individuals who have close contact to a suspected or confirmed case of H1N1 virus should seek medical advice to determine if anti-flu medications are needed. People who are at risk for complications should also self-monitor for symptoms of influenza like illness and should consult with their health care provider if symptoms occur.
What should I do if I think I might have H1N1?
If you are experiencing influenza like symptoms which include fever (greater than 100°F) and sore throat and/or cough we encourage you to please call Health Services at (603) 862-2856 to speak to a Triage Nurse for information, assessment and recommended care, when Health Services is open or call (603) 862-1530 when Health Services is closed (after-hours).
Health Services prefers you call for information, assessment and recommended care to protect yourself and limit spreading infection to others.
If you are a student and have a medical condition such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease or are immunosuppressed or pregnant and are experiencing influenza like illness, please make an appointment to be seen by a health clinician at Health Services, (603) 862-2856.
If you become ill and experience any of the following, seek medical care immediately by calling Health Services (603) 862-2856, if open and (603) 862-1530 if closed (after-hours)
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Pain or pressure in chest or abdomen
- Recurring dizziness
- Confusion
- Severe or persistent vomiting
- Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with a fever or worse cough
If I have an influenza like illness what can I do to take care of myself?
If you have the flu, it is important that you care of yourself and limit your exposure to others.
STAY HOME WHEN YOU ARE SICK
- If ill, UNH recommends that if you live within a 250 mile radius of campus and can get there by private transportation you should go home.
- If you are unable to go home, please remain in your place of residence (residence hall room, apartment, etc.). You should not go to classes, work, dining halls or participate in social activities. You should remain home for 24 hours after your fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medication.
- Avoid close contact with others.
- Contact your faculty (call or email) to let them know you are ill.
TAKE CARE
- Rest, rest and rest some more.
- Eat nutritious foods (Students who are ill or unable to leave their residence hall rooms should contact their Resident Assistant or Residence Hall Director to coordinate a takeout meal with Dining Services.
- Increase your intake of clear fluids (such as water, broth, sports drinks).
- If you have a sore throat, gargle with 1/2 tsp salt in 4 oz warm water and increase humidity (use a vaporizer/humidifier).
- Consider taking acetaminophen (Tylenol), or ibuprofen (Advil). These analgesics will help to lower a fever and reduce headaches and body aches. If fever 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher consider alternating your acetaminophen and ibuprofen, 2 tablets of each, no sooner then, every four hours. Children and adolescents should avoid aspirin when they have the flu because it can cause Reye’s syndrome, a rare but serious illness.
- Consider taking an expectorant (Robitussin), if you have a cough. This will help liquefy the secretions and help your body cough up phlegm. You can also use cough drops or throat lozenges for symptom relief.
- Remember, the flu is a virus and cannot be treated with antibiotics. Also, antiviral medication is usually not recommended in most cases.
- Manage your stress.
If symptoms worsen, please call (603) 862-2856 when Health Services is open or call (603) 862-1530 when Health Services is closed (after-hours).
How do I decrease my chances of infecting others?
Here are suggestions to help decrease the chance of infecting others
- Keep away from others as much as possible. Do not go to classes, work or participate in social activities.
- Please remain in your place of residence (home, residence hall, apartment, etc.) for 24 hours after your fever (without the use of fever- reducing medications) is gone. (Your fever should be gone.)
- If you must leave your residence (to go to the bathroom or outside), wear a facemask, if available and tolerated, to reduce the risk of spreading the virus when you cough, sneeze, talk or breathe. If a mask is unavailable, use a tissue and dispose of the tissue properly.
- Cough or sneeze into your elbow/sleeve. Do not use your hands. If you need to use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose, dispose of the tissue properly after use.
- You and everyone who lives with you should wash their hands frequently since you can pick up germs/viruses through shaking hands, sharing drinking glasses or utensils, touching a doorknob or phone, etc. with soap and water. Wash your hands for 20 seconds (sing the “Happy Birthday Song” twice.) Use paper towels to dry your hands or a cloth towel that will only be used by you. When soap and water are unavailable and hands are not visibly dirty, use alcohol-based (at least 60 percent alcohol) hand gel.
- If possible, wear a facemask when you are within 6 feet of others.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth since germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
How long am I considered contagious?
A person may be able to infect others for 1 day before getting sick to 10 days after onset of the illness. Adults are generally infectious for 5-7 days.
You should stay “home” for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other things you have to do and no one else can do for you. Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine. You should stay home from work, school, work, shopping, social events, and public gatherings.
Should I wear a mask to protect myself from getting an influenza like illness?
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) does not recommend the use of mask by healthy people as a preventive measure, unless the person is providing direct patient care to a person with influenza like illness. If you are sick, wearing a mask may help to protect others by preventing the spread of the H1N1 virus when you sneeze or cough. Wearing a mask provides no health benefits to a healthy person.
What is the risk to roommates if one roommate has an influenza like illness?
Roommates are in closer contact with each other compared to other environments on campus such as classrooms. There is more of an opportunity to spread illness, so roommates should be extra diligent in practicing self-care and prevention measures.(link to prevent spread of flu).
Students with ill roommates can still share a room. They should wash their hands often, distance themselves as much as possible from the ill roommate, wipe down all surfaces daily with sanitizing wipes, ask the roommates to cover their nose(s) and mouth(s) when they sneeze or cough, or ask them to wear a mask.
Because the residence halls are at full capacity, room changes due to ill roommates cannot be accommodated.
In reality since an individual who has influenza like illness is contagious 24 hours prior to symptoms roommates may have already been exposed to the virus.
What about participating in "swine flu parties," or exposing myself to the flu, is this a good idea?
“Swine flu parties” are gatherings during which people have close contact with a person who has the 2009 H1N1 flu in order to become infected with the virus. The intent of these parties is for a person to become infected with the disease in hopes of developing immunity to the 2009 H1N1 virus that might circulate later and cause more severe illness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend “swine flu parties” or purposely exposing self to H1N1 virus as a form of protection. While the H1N1 flu has been mild for many people, it has been severe and even fatal for others. There is no way to predict with certainty what the outcome would be to the intentionally infected individual or for others who may get this virus spread to them by this intentionally infected individual.
CDC recommends that individuals with H1N1 flu avoid contact with others as much as possible. If you have influenza like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone (without the use of fever-reducing medicine), unless medically necessary. Staying away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick.
Can I get a "doctor's" note to verify my illness for my missed classes or to get the "okay" to return to class?
UNH Health Services does not provide doctor’s notes to verify illness or to confirm that students can return to class.
As stated in the September 4th letter to the UNH community, Provost Aber asked faculty “to the extent that the integrity of course requirements can be sustained, we ask that you be appropriately flexible in accommodating legitimate student absences associated with the flu. Please do not require a doctor’s note for students to validate their illness or to return to class.”
If I get the H1N1 vaccine do I still need to get the seasonal flu vaccine?
Yes, it is possible to contract both the seasonal and H1N1 flu since exposure to one does not provide immunity to the other virus.
Can you get the H1N1 flu more than once?
No, you can not get the H1N1 flu more than once. Infection with H1N1 provides immunity, so a person can only get this strain of the virus once. However, seasonal flu is also circulating and it will be virtually impossible to distinguish clinically between the two viruses.
Do I need to get the H1N1 vaccine if I have had influenza like illness?
Unless you have a confirmed case of H1N1 (not suspected), you should get the H1N1 vaccine to protect you from the H1N1 virus. The state is only recommending testing for the H1N1 virus in rare cases and so most individuals who have had influenza like illness will not know what form of virus it is.
There is no risk to receiving the vaccine if you have already had the H1N1 virus.
More Information on the H1N1 Vaccine
