Grand Valley professor offers tips about flu outbreak

ALLENDALE, Mich. -- If there is good news about the H1N1 flu virus, commonly called the swine flu, it’s the timing, according to a Grand Valley State University professor.

Steven Hecht, associate professor of biomedical sciences, called the timing of the virus good. “There is a good chance that it should start to die off soon. During the spring, people are able to go outside, they are not shut inside, congregating in their homes,” he said.

Hecht’s area of research expertise is virus evolution. While the outbreak may be at its peak now, he said there could be more U.S. deaths because of the number of cases, and the virus could re-emerge in the fall.

“There is more good news,” he said. “If you start getting the flu symptoms, the virus is still susceptible to the anti-flu medications.”

Hecht offered tips to stay healthy: covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing, washing hands frequently, avoiding touching eyes, staying home if sick, and wiping down computer keyboards that are in a public area.

Updated information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Ottawa County Health Department can be found on Grand Valley’s Emergency Preparedness Web site, www.gvsu.edu/emergency .