Faculty and Staff: Protecting Yourself this Flu Season

Dear Campus Community Members:

We are experiencing an early onset of flu this season compared to prior years. As such, I am writing to remind you of the importance of getting your flu vaccine and taking extra precautions to prevent the spread of illness.

As always, the best protection against illness is vaccination. If you have not yet received your flu shot, I encourage you to get one as soon as possible. You can search available vaccination sites on the Vaccines.gov website. Following your vaccination, please sign into MySlice, go to the Employee Resources tile, and then to the Flu Vaccine Status tile and confirm your vaccination.

In addition to vaccination, the following health practices can help prevent the spread of illness:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick. If you are feeling sick, limit your contact with others as much as possible.
• Cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing. (Masks are always a great preventative measure!)
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Clean and disinfect regularly touched surfaces and objects.
• If you have the flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends staying home for at least 24 hours after a fever is gone, without the need for a fever-reducing medicine.

For more information about flu, please visit the CDC website. If you have additional questions or are experiencing flu-like symptoms, please contact your medical provider.

Be well,

Karen Nardella, M.D.
Medical Director, Barnes Center at The Arch