How likely is that to happen?

The college term has hardly started and the University of Illinois has more than a dozen suspected cases of the illness with some of the students ill enough to be hospitalized.
 “Likely, the students carried the flu with them from home,” explains Dr. Robert Palinkas, director of the university’s McKinley Health Center.
 “Most of the affected students have been sent home to their families with a few other affected students being isolated.”
 How do you and your student cope with the Swine Flu?

Know the difference between the regular flu and the more intense Swine Flu.

It is not easy.
Symptoms of swine flu are like regular flu symptoms. Nearly everyone with flu has at least two flu symptoms but these symptoms can also be caused by many other conditions. That means that you and your doctor can't know, just based on  symptoms, if your student has  swine flu. Even if your student takes a rapid flu test, a negative result doesn't necessarily mean the student does not have the flu. Only lab tests can definitively show whether someone has the swine flu. State health departments usually do these tests but, given the large volume of samples coming in to state labs, these tests are reserved for patients with severe flu symptoms.

If  your student is sick, he or she should stay home.

 Colleges are not taking chances – isolating or sending home students showing symptoms of the flu. If your daughter or son is sick with the flu, he or she will likely be asked to go home for a week or even more. Colleges are adjusting their attendance policies to deal with sick students with some schools even putting classes on the Web so that homebound students can catch or keep up with their classes.
 Home is where your sick student should be.

Handling the flu

 When your student coughs or sneezes, he should cover his mouth and nose with a tissue. Afterward, he should throw the tissue in the trash and wash his hands. That will help prevent his flu from spreading.
If he has only mild flu symptoms, he does not need medical attention unless the illness worsens or is in a high risk medical group such as those with cardiovascular conditions (except high blood pressure), liver problems, kidney problems, blood disorders, including sickle cell disease, neurologic disorders, neuromuscular disorders, metabolic disorders, including diabetes,  immune suppression, including HIV infection and medications that suppress the immune system, such as cancer chemotherapy or anti-rejection drugs for transplants and the morbidly obese. A striking number of adults who developed severe swine flu complications have been morbidly obese. However, obesity itself does not seem to be the issue. The vast majority of extremely obese people suffer respiratory problems and/or diabetes, which seem to be the underlying reason for their severe flu complications. These people should seek medical care as soon as they get flu symptoms.
Your college student should also seek urgent medical attention if he or she has difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen, sudden dizziness, confusion, severe or persistent vomiting or flu-like symptoms that improve then come back with worsening fever or cough
 If your doctor suspects swine flu, he or she may write a prescription for Tami flu or Relenza but your doctor will determine if your student needs those medications as the antiviral medications aren't a question of life or death for the vast majority of people. Most U.S. swine flu patients make a full recovery without antiviral.

Preventing getting and spreading swine flu.

The new swine flu virus apparently spreads just like regular flu. Your student could pick up germs directly from droplets from the cough or sneeze of an infected person, or by touching an object a sick person recently touched, and then touching his eyes, mouth, or nose, delivering their germs for your own infection. Because the Swine Flu is spread by people to people contact, your student needs to limit how spreading germs from one person to another such as by frequently washing his hands regularly with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing or using an alcohol-based hand cleaner if soap and water are not available.
Your student should both avoid being within 6 feet of people who have flu-like symptoms
and touching his mouth, nose, or eyes. That's not easy to do, so your student needs to constantly keep his hands clean.
By following these precautions, you and your student can prevent spreading the flu to
 others as well as other diseases you and your student may come into contact with.

Have a good semester despite the flu.
 
By following the recommendations in this article, most students and their families can have a good semester even if they catch the Swine Flu.