A student at Missouri University of Science and Technology has been confirmed to have the H1N1 virus. This is the first confirmed case at Missouri S&T. The affected student is now at permanent residence and is believed to have had minimal contact with others on campus prior to his departure for home.

Missouri S&T officials are taking steps to limit the spread of the virus on campus and will continue to monitor the situation. Those steps include:

— Encouraging students, faculty and staff to get immunized as soon as possible for both seasonal flu and the H1N1 virus. Missouri S&T Student Health Services began offering a student sign-up for flu shots prior to the start of classes. So far, 1,044 students, nearly 17 percent of the university’s 6,146 on-campus students, have signed up to be immunized and nearly 60 percent of those students have received their seasonal flu shot.

— Providing the H1N1 vaccine to faculty and staff, in addition to students, for a $25 fee. Missouri S&T student health services will begin a sign-up process in the coming weeks.

— Encouraging hand-washing. The campus community is urged to wash their hands with soap and water more often, especially after contact with surfaces touched by others. Hand sanitizer dispensers have been placed at a number of high-traffic areas on campus, including the computer learning centers.

— Advising faculty to discourage students from attending classes if they exhibit flu-like symptoms. Department supervisors are asked to give similar advice to employees. Infected parties should wait until their fevers have been gone for 24 hours without the use of fever-lowering medications before returning to class or to work.

The student affairs division has plans in place to accommodate students who become ill in residence halls and in Greek housing to help avoid the spread of infection among those who live with them.