Flu and Coronavirus

From a recently-circulated email:

UCLA Health Division of Infectious Diseases
Arthur Ashe Student Health Center

To the Campus Community,

As we approach the peak of the flu season, many of you may be experiencing flu-like symptoms or the common cold. In addition, you may have come across news reports about a similar respiratory illness from Wuhan, China, called the 2019 novel coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV.

While incidences of the common cold or the flu may be on the rise, we want to reassure the UCLA community that at this time, there are no known exposures to 2019-nCoV on campus. Additionally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the immediate health risk from 2019-nCoV to people in North America is considered low.

We would also like remind the Bruin community that there are simple precautions one can take to minimize the risk of contracting or spreading any respiratory viral illnesses. Those include regular hand-washing, coughing and sneezing into one’s sleeves, and staying up-to-date on immunizations and flu shots.

The UCLA Arthur Ashe Student Health Center and UCLA Health infectious disease specialists recommend that any student experiencing a cough and a fever who has also recently traveled to Wuhan, or who has had contact with people from Wuhan with symptoms, call the center at (310) 206-6217. Students must call before showing up.

UCLA faculty and staff in the same situation should contact their primary health care provider.

Both the Arthur Ashe Student Health Center and the UCLA Health hospitals are well-prepared to care for patients with infectious diseases.

UCLA is also working closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and state and county public health officials to keep our campus healthy, and to keep you informed of significant new developments.

More information about the coronavirus may be found at the CDC site. Information is also available at Bruin Safe Online, and from the World Health Organization.*

Dr. Daniel Uslan
Clinical Chief of Infectious Diseases
UCLA Health

Dr. Nancy Holt
Co-Executive Director, Interim
Arthur Ashe Student Health Center

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*https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/; https://www.bso.ucla.edu/; https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus