Pandemic Preparedness
Queen's University- For Parents
What's the latest information about the flu on campus?
Flu-like viruses on campus and in Kingston continue to circulate at normal levels. In the vast majority of cases, symptoms last about a week and medical attention is not needed. University operations have not been affected.
Students are encouraged to get immunized against H1N1 and to get the seasonal flu shot; this is the best way to avoid getting sick.
The vaccines are available to students by appointment at Student Health Services.
More than 2,300 students, faculty and staff were vaccinated against H1N1 at Queen's flu shot clinic held on November 30 at Grant Hall.
Medical documentation was not required from students who needed to miss an exam in December 2009 due to severe illness. Click here for more details and specific faculty requirements in lieu of medical documentation.
Students are encouraged to keep washing their hands and coughing or sneezing into their sleeves to avoid getting sick or spreading the illness.
Students who are ill are encouraged to:
- stay home (or go home to family to recover if it's feasible and they can be picked up - they shouldn't travel on public transit)
- sleep
- drink lots of water/juice
- contact instructors about making up missed classes and assignments
- take ibuprofen or acetaminophen, if they have no problems with those drugs,to help relieve symptoms
- avoid alcohol because it suppresses the immune system
Students should seek medical attention:
- If they are having difficulty breathing when you are doing ordinary things
- If they are not feeling better by the end of one week
- If they have a persistent fever (measured with a thermometer) lasting 5 or more day (37.0 Celsius is normal)
- If they are coughing up blood
- If they feel disoriented or confused
- If they start to get better, but then worsen
Student Health Services (146 Stuart Street) is operating regular hours.
How can parents stay informed about the status of flu on campus?
A monthly email goes to parents of students in residence who subscribe online. The "Campus Connection" newsletter keeps parents informed about what's happening in residence on a wide range of topics, including H1N1.
The ‘For Parents' tab on the Residences website and this pandemic website will be updated with information about H1N1 and other relevant issues.
Will students in residence be moved if they are sick?
Residence is full, so there are no ‘empty rooms' available. As well, ill students typically spread the infection well before they show symptoms, so it's very likely that roommates would be infected before they could be moved.
It's also just as likely that students would contract the virus from other sources, such as shared common surfaces in common rooms, washrooms, door handles, classrooms and other public areas.
Typically, students who share a room are not moved when they or their roommate is ill. If only one roommate is ill, we advise all students sharing a room to practice social distancing as much as possible (e.g. sleep head to toe instead of face to face, avoid close contact where possible) and to ensure that they routinely wash hands and common surfaces (such as door handles).
Students with ill roommates should be extremely diligent in hand washing, distancing themselves as much as they can from ill roommates, wiping down all surfaces daily with sanitizing wipes.
How is the University informing students about H1N1?
In residence:
- All students in residence were emailed about H1N1 before they arrived
- Students receive a weekly email from Residences July through April and information and updates about H1N1 are being included
- Students were advised to bring hand sanitizer, a thermometer and acetaminophen or ibuprofen in their "self care kit"
- H1N1 and flu information sessions were part of orientation
- Residence staff were given H1N1 and flu information during their training
- Posters and tent cards have been distributed in dining halls
- Pamphlets and hand sanitizer have been distributed in students' mailboxes
Off campus:
The University has worked with student leaders and Community Housing on:
- Emails to all students living in Queen's-owned properties off campus (there are about 500)
- Posters in all community housing properties
- H1N1 information sent via email from the AMS and SGPS and included on their websites
- Newsletters for distribution to all off-campus students.
How is the Bader International Study Centre at Queen's Herstmonceux Castle in England preparing for the flu?