With the slogan “Spread the Word, Not the Flu” the university is unfurling a campaign to educate students, faculty and staff about the H1N1 virus and upcoming flu season.
Coordinated by the Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness, the campaign will broadcast the message on bulletin boards, campus buses and elsewhere throughout campus. The plan is to prevent as many cases as possible, according to Steve Harris, OSEP director.
“This a decentralized campus. We wanted to create a single campaign that we could brand, something catchy that would stick with students, staff and faculty,” he said. “We worked with University Housing, the College of Pharmacy, the University Health Center, Human Resources and the Division of Student Affairs to create the slogan and help us spread the message.”
The best ways to prevent contracting H1N1 and the regular influenza virus are:
• Wash your hands regularly,
• Cough into your sleeve,
• Stay home if you feel sick and
• Get your flu shots.
The message is especially prescient for college campuses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the H1N1 virus is more severe when contracted by people younger than 25. But despite the risk, but the campaign is not trying scare anyone, according to Harris.
“The media really frightened people about H1N1. We’re trying to say, ‘Yes it’s out there, and so is seasonal influenza, and you can do some things that help prevent getting these viruses,’ ” he said. “The same things you would do during a regular flu season you can do to prevent or lessen your chances of getting H1N1.”
The campaign will continue through the current flu off-season, when H1N1 is spreading, and through the height of flu season.
The word will be spread through as many means as possible, including ads on the Housing Channel, talks at fraternity chapter meetings, e-mails on listservs and information tables at the Tate Student Center.
