Phillip Barkley, the director of the UF Student Health Care Center, answered dozens of questions about the H1N1 virus, more commonly known as the swine flu, during Monday night's Swine Flu Forum.
The event, hosted by Student Government's Health Cabinet, was held to dispel myths about the swine flu and raise awareness for sickness prevention.
"If there's one message to get out to students, besides the hand washing and cleanliness, it's to get a vaccine," Barkley said to the handful of students gathered in the Florida Gym. "It's safe and effective.
But, he said, swine flu cases are much rarer than they were last semester.
As of Jan. 12, there were only six positively identified cases of the virus in Florida, Barkley said.
"One of the things I've hoped is that H1N1 helped us change our overall behavior," he said.
Isabel Anasco, a nurse epidemiologist who works for the Alachua County Health Department, said people should remember the common sense health guidelines, such as hand sanitizer use, that became popular during last semester's flu outbreak.
Swine flu became widespread across the UF last semester, and it could potentially strike again in the coming weeks, Anasco said.
