Dalhousie University students are being asked to hold back on their hormones and greet each other for the new school year one metre apart in the hopes of avoiding Influenza A (H1N1), also known as swine flu.
While not an official campaign, Dalhousie’s director of environmental health and safety Ray Ilson said the university will be advising students this fall to avoid things like hand shaking, hugging, or kissing, hold meetings over the phone and to keep at a one-meter distance when meeting in person.
“The university wants to take all precautions,” Ilson told Metro.
Posters are being placed around the school outlining their specific suggestions and tips on how to stay healthy and to avoid the swine flu. He also said frosh packs will include information about the virus and ways to avoid it.
Ilson said a “flu” website is also in the works for the Dalhousie website and will serve as a hub of swine flu information.
Blake Patterson, a spokesman with Saint Mary’s University, said they have already developed a website to “facilitate the flow of information” about H1N1. Patterson said the website provides information on proper hand washing, and is regularly updated with health notices from the Nova Scotia Department of Health.
Patterson added Saint Mary’s hasn’t made the same suggestions to their new and returning students as Dalhousie, but it is not out of the question.
“It is certainly something that we will be in discussions about,” Patterson said. “We still need to determine what will be the key messages to provide students the best possible information.”
Brian Jessop, vice-president of administration at Mount Saint Vincent University, said its school will be mirroring other universities and offering general information to its students.
