ACHA Tracks ILI

Feeling awful? Head to your college health center if you suspect that you have the flu. Head to an urgent care center or hospital emergency room if your center is closed.

One organization working with colleges to help track flu like illnesses is The American College Health Association (ACHA). The ACHA concurs with the sentiments of college officials, sharing their belief that many flu outbreaks may originate on campus. As a result, the ACHA says that “it may be epidemiologically valuable to identify disease burden and population based attack rates of influenza like illnesses (ILI) [ICD-CM Diagnosis 487.1] specifically on college campuses.”

To underscore their concern, the ACHA has recruited interested college and universities to freely join an existing network whereby schools submit brief online data weekly as regards to the number of new cases of ILI. The ACHA is assembling this information and publishing it to their website weekly and will pass along its findings to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) as well.

What The Initial Report Reveals

The first ACHA report has already been compiled and published, revealing that involved schools reported over sixteen hundreds cases among two million students. More than half of the 165 reporting schools experienced influenza cases last week. The southeast and northeast US were the two regions in the country reporting the highest number of cases in the country.

To track the ACHA’s findings, please visit www.acha.org/ILI_Surveillance.com. Cumulative data will be included as additional reports are filed.

SayCampusLife.com will continue to share flu related news over the coming months. Feel free to submit your links and topics to us via our online contact form.

Source: The American College Health Association (ACHA)

Let’s take a look at meningitis and how this disease spreads and what you can do about it:

According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), meningitis is mostly caused by microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. These microorganisms infect blood and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Meningitis can also develop from non-infectious causes, including certain diseases like AIDS, cancer, diabetes, physical injury, or certain drugs that weaken the body’s immune system.

Bacterial meningitis is usually more severe than viral meningitis. Bacterial meningitis can have serious after-effects, such as brain damage, hearing loss, limb amputation, or learning disabilities. Viral meningitis is generally less severe and resolves without specific treatment. Most viral meningitis cases in the United States, especially during the summer months, are caused by enteroviruses; however, only a small number of people with enterovirus infections actually develop meningitis.

Meningitis infection is characterized by a sudden onset of fever, headache, and stiff neck. It is often accompanied by other symptoms, such as:

* Nausea
* Vomiting
* Photophobia (sensitivity to light)
* Altered mental status

Bacterial Meningitis

The symptoms of bacterial meningitis can appear quickly or over several days. Typically they develop within 3-7 days after exposure.

Although the early symptoms of viral meningitis and bacterial meningitis may be similar, later symptoms of bacterial meningitis can be very severe (e.g., seizures, coma). For this reason, if you think you or someone else may have meningitis, see a physician as soon as possible.

Viral Meningitis

Viral meningitis is an infection of the meninges (the covering of the brain and spinal cord) that is caused by a virus. Enteroviruses, the most common cause of viral meningitis, appear most often during the summer and fall in temperate climates.

Viral meningitis can affect babies, children, and adults. It is usually less severe than bacterial meningitis and normally clears up without specific treatment. The symptoms of viral meningitis are similar to those for bacterial meningitis, which can be fatal. Because of this, it is important to see a healthcare provider right away if you think you or your child might have meningitis.

Treatment For Meningitis

Viral forms of meningitis cannot be treated with drugs while bacterial can respond accordingly. Viral meningitis infections normally last for seven to ten days while a variety of effective antibiotics can be used to combat bacterial meningitis, provided that treatment is begun early. Even with drugs, the death rate for this disease is about 15%.

SayCampusLife.com will pass along additional health tips over the coming year, including more detailed information about the H1N1 virus. Special thanks to the Centers for Disease Control for supplying the bulk of the information for this article.

Source: Centers For Disease Control

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What you aren’t planning on is to get sick and, if you’re like a lot of people these days, you can’t help but think that swine flu could be something you’ll be hearing a lot more about this summer, perhaps on a much more personal level too.

The Centers For Disease Control Weighs In

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is monitoring the development and spread of the virus and issuing guidelines to schools, businesses and other public places on how to deal with possible outbreaks. Working in conjunction with colleges, the CDC is urging schools to take the following steps to help them prepare for a possible outbreak:

Planning and Coordination — Identify a pandemic coordinator and response team (including campus health services and mental health staff, student housing personnel, security, communications staff, physical plant staff, food services director, academic staff and student representatives) with defined roles and responsibilities for preparedness, response, and recovery planning. Additional steps to be taken include stockpiling nonperishable foods and medicines, updating the school’s emergency notification system, canceling sporting events and classes.

Continuity of Student Learning and Operations — Develop and disseminate alternative procedures to assure continuity of instruction (e.g., web-based distance instruction, telephone trees, mailed lessons and assignments, instruction via local radio or television stations) in the event of college/university closures. Also includes providing food for on campus students as well as housekeeping during a pandemic.

Infection Control Policies and Procedures — Implement infection control policies and procedures that help limit the spread of influenza on campus (e.g. promotion of hand hygiene, cough/sneeze etiquette). (See Infection Control www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic/healthprofessional.htm). Make good hygiene a habit now in order to help protect employees and students from many infectious diseases such as influenza. Encourage students and staff to get annual influenza vaccine (www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/preventing.htm). CDC also recommends that schools adopt their pandemic plans regarding student movement and visitation.

Communications Planning — Assess readiness to meet communications needs in preparation for an influenza pandemic, including regular review, testing, and updating of communications plans that link with public health authorities and other key stakeholders (See www.hhs.gov/pandemicflu/plan/sup10.html). Includes counseling students and faculty members during and after the crisis.

Of course, there is a tendency for some people to downplay the problem while others could panic and create a much more difficult situation for themselves. The best approach is for you to stay alert to possible changes in your own health as well as to keep in tune with the latest updates. If you should feel yourself becoming ill and exhibiting flu-like symptoms, then get yourself to a doctor as soon as possible.

Source: Centers For Disease Control (CDC)

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