Allied Health Center of Excellence

Pandemic Flu Preparedness

Please note that on August 20, 2009, CDC released new "Guidance for Responses to Influenza for Institutions of Higher Education during the 2009-2010 Academic Year" (http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/institutions/guidance/). 

Two companion documents are "Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Institutions of Higher Education" (http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/institutions/toolkit/) (this material is currently being reviewed by DOH Communications Office) and the "Technical Report on CDC Guidance for Responses to Influenza for Institutions of Higher Education during the 2009-2010 Academic Year" (http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/institutions/guidance/technical.htm). 

The guidance differs from the previous version from May 2009 in that it focuses on prevention of both seasonal and pandemic influenza.  It suggests ways that Institutions of Higher Education, students and parents can plan and prepare for the upcoming fall and winter flu season, decrease the spread of flu, and what to do in case of illness. 
New or changed guidance include:

• Recommended strategies for two levels of pandemic severity

        -One for transmission and severity similar to spring 2009
        -Another for greater transmission or increased severity compared to spring 2009

• Changes in the exclusion period, now defined as until at least 24 hours after fever resolves without the use of fever reducing medicines.
• Recommended changes to absenteeism and sick leave policies to avoid penalizing students and staff who appropriately stay home when sick or caring for an ill family member.
• A menu of tools that Institutions of Higher Education and health officials can choose from based on local conditions.

The Department of Health supports the guidance with one exception: there appears to be an error in the 5th bullet under "Recommended strategies under current flu conditions,"  where it suggests that ill students wear a surgical mask when close contact with another person cannot be avoided, and lists examples of close contact such as kissing, and sharing eating or drinking utensils.  DOH agrees that an ill person should wear a mask, if available and tolerated, when close contact is unavoidable.  However, a sick person should avoid kissing or sharing utensils with anyone while they are ill.

A pandemic flu event is predicted this fall and can hit your area.  When the number of staff, faculty and students reach a point that you can not can continue normal operations, what is your plan?  Have you tested them? What are alternatives?  To help prepare, the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice just released its "Pandemic Influenza Tabletop Exercise" CD-ROM.

The purpose of this tabletop exercise is to test the adequacy of emergency response plans during all phases of a simulated pandemic influenza event at a university. The exercise involves a communicable disease outbreak that affects three campuses and is geared for administrators, unit leaders, and departments, as well as external agencies who will have to interact with a university during a pandemic.

To order this exercise free of charge or for more information, please visit:

http://www.nwcphp.org/training/courses-exercises/courses/pan-flu-tabletop