Students champion swine flu awareness with ‘viral man’ campaign

“Viral Man”, created by graphic design students Neil Martin and Hannah Bradshaw, and advertising students Will Bollen and Jerry Clark from Advertising, was created to highlight issues around the swine flu virus to respond to the evolving situation nationally and promote the National Pandemic Flu Service to students and staff.

“Viral Man”, dressed in a striped jumper and gloves covered in spikes and wearing a wild wig and green face paint, spreads key messages about the importance of good respiratory and hand hygiene, how the virus affects sufferers and where to seek treatment.

Gay Rabie, the university’s pandemic flu co-ordinator, is currently leading an EU-funded academic programme, designed to ensure that European countries are better prepared for outbreaks of seasonal influenza. She also sits on local and national committees overseeing pandemic flu prevention and control.

She added: “As predicted, the number of cases in the general population is starting to escalate again and as a large organisation, the university has been planning contingencies for this eventuality for some time. ‘Viral Man’ complements a wide range of measures including providing anti-bacterial gel dispensers in all main buildings, encouraging departments to use anti-bacterial wipes to clean shared equipment and prioritising workloads to accommodate potential sickness absence.” 

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