INFECTIOUS DISEASES

• Avian flu
• Measles
• Meningitis
• Mumps
• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
• Swine flu
  • Questions and answers
  • Information for staff

Related links

• Students' Health Service
• Emergency announcements

Swine flu

Background

In June 2009 the World Health Organization declared a swine flu pandemic.

Life is continuing as normal at the University of Bristol.

The University is following its Flu Pandemic Contingency Plan and working closely with the health authorities.

Information about swine flu has been provided to all students and members of staff. Everyone has been directed to some basic advice and to a set of swine flu questions and answers.

The Government and the Health Protection Agency have indicated that swine flu could be more widespread this winter. The University is keen to minimise any disruption to students' education, research and the University's other key functions.

As well as basic advice for all students and staff, the University has prepared employment-related advice for staff members.

Basic advice

The typical symptoms of swine flu are:

• sudden fever (a high body temperature of 38C/100.4F or above), and
• sudden cough.

Other symptoms may include:

• headache
• tiredness
• chills
• aching muscles
• limb or joint pain
• diarrhoea or stomach upset
• sore throat
• runny nose
• sneezing
• loss of appetite.

The basic advice to students and staff who are concerned that they may have swine flu is to stay at home and access the National Pandemic Flu Service. If you are not online, the service is available by calling 0800 1 513 100 (minicom 0800 1 513 200).

However, you should phone (not visit) your GP, or the Students’ Health Service (+44 (0)117 330 2720) if you are registered with them, or contact NHS Direct (0845 4647), if:

• you have a serious underlying illness
• you are pregnant
• your condition suddenly gets much worse
• your condition is still getting worse after seven days.

Further advice

There is important further employment-related advice for staff members who become ill or have to look after sick dependants.

Students are advised to check that their contact details on Student Info – including their home and term-time address and their mobile phone number – are up to date so that they can be contacted quickly should the need arise.

Members of staff are similarly advised to check that their contact details on Staff Info are correct.

Useful links

Other sources of useful information:

• Health Protection Agency
• UK Government's Swine Flu information leaflet (PDF, 1.4Mb)
• World Health Organization
• Department of Health