H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) Information

Recent PCC Updates

Fall is an exciting time at PCC, heralding a new academic year. But this fall also brings us a serious challenge: the resurgence of the swine flu, also known as the H1N1 influenza. The World Health Organization has raised the pandemic level for the H1N1 flu to Level 6, which is the highest level. At PCC, we anticipate an increase of both students and employees coming down with the flu this fall and winter and have been preparing accordingly.

This page will be kept up to date with information on the swine flu and how PCC is coping with this challenge. PCC also communicates with the public health officials of Multnomah and Washington counties, as well as the Oregon Department of Human Services, as part of our planning process.

Use the information on this page to protect yourself and those around you.

Read about the Pandemic Flu Committee's Instructional Continuation Contingency Planning. Also, protect yourself and your community by reviewing the H1N1 Fact Sheet and Workplace Precautions Fact Sheet from the Oregon Department of Human Services: Public Health Division.

Prevention Tips

PCC is in close contact with local public health officials and are constantly reviewing their guidance. At this point, health officials believe the most important precautions we can take to prevent the spread of illness are strong personal hygiene habits.

  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a clean tissue or your sleeve.
  • Wash your hands often with warm water and soap, or use an alcohol-based sanitizer (make use of the bulk hand sanitizers set up in high-traffic areas at PCC).
  • Stay home when you’re sick and keep sick children home.
  • Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
  • Individuals with influenza-like illness should remain at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100°F or greater) without the use of fever-reducing medications.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth - germs are spread that way.
  • Get vaccinations against both the seasonal flu and the Swine/H1N1 flu.

Learn more by reading the CDC H1N1 prevention recommendations.

You can also watch some useful and fun prevention videos:

Cold or Flu: How to Tell the Difference

Colds and Flus are both respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different types of viruses. Colds generally do not result in serious health problems, such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, or hospitalizations, however the flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

Symptom Cold Flu
Fever Rare Usually. 80% of flu cases include fever, normally higher than 100° for 3-4 days
Aches Can be slight body aches and pains Severe aches and pains are common
Chills Uncommon Fairly common. 60% of flu cases include chills, and possibly shivering
Tiredness Fairly mild Can be moderate to severe
Sudden Symptoms Symptoms are not sudden and develop over a few days Rapid onset within 3-6 hours, can hit hard and sudden
Coughing Often present is a hacking and productive (mucus producing) cough A non-productive cough is usual. Dry cough is present in 80% of flu cases
Sneezing Common Not Common
Stuffy Nose Usually, resolves within a week Not Common
Sore Throat Common, pain and inflammation Not Common
Chest Discomfort Mild to moderate Often severe, pain and abnormal sensations felt between the neck and upper abdomen
Headache Fairly uncommon Very common - 80% of flu cases include headache
Seasonal Flu or Swine Flu?

The symptoms of Swine Flu (H1N1) are similar to regular/seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Swine flu symptoms may include diarrhea and vomiting. In both cases, the flu is spread mainly by person-to-person contact through coughing or sneezing of infected people.

How to Care for Someone with the Flu

  • Most people who are ill can be cared for at home.
  • Care consists of keeping the person as comfortable as possible.
  • Drink lots of fluids (such as water, broth, sports drinks, and electrolyte beverages for infants) to keep from being dehydrated.
  • Get plenty of rest.
  • Use ibuprofen or acetaminophen for fever, sore throat and muscle aches, if no allergies to these medications.
  • Do not use aspirin for children.
  • Sponge with tepid (wrist-temperature) water. Do not sponge with alcohol.
  • Make sure all members of the household wash their hands frequently.
  • Keep other family members and visitors away from a sick person.
  • Check with the sick persons health care provider about any special care they might need if they are pregnant or have a health condition such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, or emphysema.
  • A person with flu should stay home for at least 24 hours after fever is gone (without the use of a fever-reducing medicine), except to seek medical care.
  • A person with flu should wear a facemask – if available and tolerable – when sharing common spaces with other household members. This helps prevent spreading the virus to others.
  • Get Medical Care Right Away if the Sick Person:
    • Has difficulty breathing or chest pain
    • Has purple or blue discoloration of the lips
    • Is vomiting and unable to keep liquids down
    • Has signs of dehydration such as dizziness when standing, absence of urination, or in infants, a lack of tears when crying
    • Is less responsive than normal or becomes confused, or has seizures or convulsions

These are general recommendations for flu care, please refer to the CDC guidance for taking care of a person in your home or consult with your medical provider for more detailed information.

PCC Faculty: H1N1 Message

As the term progresses and the likelihood of flu (regular or H1N1) increases, here is some guidance regarding what to do to protect yourself and your students, and how to deal with increased absences. In addition to reading what is below, please read the Oregon DHS Pandemic H1N1 FAQ.

First, what about yourself:

  • Use whatever hand cleaning aids are made available, inside or outside of the classroom.
  • If you believe you have the flu, stay home and take care of yourself.
  • Because other staff members may be out at the same time as you, let more than one person know that you're absent. Call and/or send e-mails as instructed by your department or division, or, if you're not sure, let the appropriate Administrative Assistant, Faculty Department Chair, and Division Dean or Director know of your absence. If at all possible, speak with someone to ensure that the college knows of your absence.
  • It's recommended that you stay away until at least 24 hours have passed since having an elevated temperature as that's what's recommended in order to avoid passing the flu to others. (H1N1 is likely to last 7 to 10 days.)
  • When you're well enough to teach, return to work.

Now, what about your students:

  • Encourage students to use whatever hand cleaning aids are available, inside or outside of the classroom.
  • If you observe students who appear to be ill, encourage them to leave and to stay home until they recover. Recommend that they stay away until at least 24 hours have passed since having an elevated temperature.
  • Do NOT require a medical professional's note for students to return to class since medical professionals will be very busy taking care of ill patients.
  • Encourage students to inform you by email or voice mail of their absence and to ask what is needed to stay up with the class, if it is possible to do so.
  • If more than a few students are absent, i.e., enough to impact the delivery of the class, let your Faculty Department Chair and Division Dean or Director know how many are absent.
  • Make sure all your syllabi are posted online.
  • If it becomes necessary to cancel your class(es) and if it is possible to use MyPCC or Desire2Learn to stay in touch with students and keep your class(es) moving ahead, please do so, working with them as much as possible.
  • As it is unlikely that all classes you miss will be covered by substitutes, stay in touch with your students through MyPCC or Desire2Learn if you are well enough to do so but not able to return to work. Give them as much information as you can about altered schedules and deadlines.
  • Encourage students to watch for announcements through MyPCC and PCC email regarding closures, which will be decided by PCC personnel in concert with county and state health officials. There is not yet any measure as to how much absence might result in the closure of a campus or the college. Closure decisions will depend on many factors, some of which are still to be determined.
  • Consider that elements of syllabi, particularly those relating to absences and impact of absences on grades, may be invalidated, whether or not the college closes, so consider a flexible attendance policy and flexible options for making up missed assignments, tests, etc. if absences reach higher than normal levels.
Related Pages
FLU.gov, CDC H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu), Oregon Department of Human Services' Flu Information, Multnomah County Health Department's H1N1 Influenza