Preparing for the worst: UUPers ready campuses for possible H1N1 outbreak

 Nobody wants to get the flu.

And nobody wants to see it spread like wildfire through a college campus.

Cases of the H1N1 influenza virus, also known as swine flu, have hit pandemic proportions worldwide. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed nearly 50,000 cases in the U.S. and its territories since the virus first appeared here in April. The CDC recently placed college students among several high-risk groups for this new strain of influenza, and has redoubled its efforts to inform institutions of higher education about the threat of a potential outbreak.

Nobody knows if or when an outbreak will occur. But one thing is certain: Reports of the H1N1 pandemic have heightened the awareness of SUNY administrators, prompting them to develop new or update existing Flu Pandemic Plans.

As a result, UUP members around the state are finding themselves on the front line of defense. In conjunction with the CDC and campus administrators, UUPers have worked feverishly to write response plans, monitor the latest health data, disseminate information, and prepare to administer the vaccine as soon as it becomes available.

“The CDC has presented an extreme scenario, but it’s still wise for campuses to stay on top of things,” said UUP member Richard Peagler, director of counseling and student development at SUNY Cortland and a member of the campus Pandemic Flu Committee. “If you look at the H1N1 flu in a pandemic sense, it can devastate a campus. Keeping a handle on the situation will definitely have an impact on how we get through the academic year.”

Out in front

From the moment the World Health Organization declared that a global pandemic of the human H1N1 virus was under way, academic and professional faculty at SUNY campuses and health science centers kicked into high gear, teaming up with administrators and colleagues to put up-to-date response plans in place.

For example, members of the Incident Management Team (IMT) at Binghamton University, which had one confirmed case of the H1N1 virus last year, wasted no time fine-tuning an existing pandemic plan for “a broad range of responses based on different levels of possible exposure,” said UUPer Gail Glover, senior director of media and public relations. The IMT has identified and stocked medical and support supplies, created an educational campaign focused on good health, and developed plans for large events such as commencement, she said.

“The IMT is keeping a watchful eye on the influenza situation at the global, national and local levels,” said Glover, an IMT member. “We are prepared for a possible wider spread of H1N1 influenza.”

Spreading the word

Awareness and prevention campaigns are major components of the pandemic plans in place on SUNY state-operated campuses, and UUPers have stepped up efforts to spread the word about H1N1 symptoms and the ways to keep the flu from spreading.

Giving students the information is one thing. Getting them to listen is another.

“It is amazing to me that students are so blissfully unaware of how germs get exchanged,” said Potsdam Chapter President Laura Rhoads. “They’ll read signs and wash their hands, then turn around and share a drinking cup with someone else.”

What to do?

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius recommended that colleges be innovative in the way they disseminate information. She said most college students are linked to social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, and are more likely to use newer technologies as their information sources.

UUP members have taken heed, using new and traditional methods to keep students up to date on the latest health facts. Campuses are using e-mails, text messages, fliers and posters to get students’ attention.

SUNY Cortland has set out table tents in dining halls that call attention to the warning signs, and are holding open forums to dispel the myths about the H1N1 virus.

“The more we keep the misinformation to a minimum, the better off we’ll be,” Peagler said.

Empire State College students are typically older than those on other SUNY campuses, so many are already dealing with the H1N1 flu as parents of young children, according to Chapter President Jacqualine Berger. For these nontraditional students, additional information is coming to them through NYSUT.

In addition, UUP has posted information from AFT at www.uupinfo.org that lists precautions for college employees.

Emergency alert plans

Campuses that need to take serious action, such as closing a campus or residence hall due to a widespread outbreak, will turn to SUNY NY-Alert, a Web-based emergency alert notification system that enables campuses to send out critical emergency information concurrently through phone, e-mail and text messaging.

Members who develop, control and operate these emergency response systems stand ready to implement them on a moment’s notice.

“Our members will be an integral part of the response plan, should the necessity arise,” said Purchase Chapter President John Delate. “But we are all hopeful that the swine flu will not pose a serious threat to anyone.”

In sickness and in …

SUNY campuses are following the CDC recommendation for “self-isolation,” which calls on students with flu-like illness to stay away from classes and limit interactions with other people, except for seeking medical care, for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever without the use of medicine. Faculty are letting their students know they won’t be penalized for missing classes. At many SUNY campuses, UUPers have included a footnote in their course syllabi that guarantees a sick student can make up class work, lab assignments and other projects once the threat of contagion passes.

“I have talked to my students about what to do if they are ill, and how we can get them through course material, by using electronic communications and greater flexibility with exams,” said Rhoads, a professor of biology. She is also using the “buddy system” in her lab courses, making it possible for lab partners to share duties and results.

Empire State College’s smaller classes and one-on-one instruction “make it very easy for me to modify or adapt assignments if students are unable to meet with me,” added Berger, noting she will arrange to work with students online, through e-mail or by telephone.

Many campuses are also making accommodations for sick students living in residence halls; those who opt for self-isolation will have their meals delivered to their rooms.

“We want students to isolate themselves for a day or two, and delivering meals will make that possible for the students living on campus,” said Cortland’s Peagler. “We’ll also be able to monitor and evaluate them to see if the flu is manifesting itself.”

Of note to faculty and staff is the CDC recommendation that campus administrators review and revise, as needed, policies such as sick leave for faculty and staff that make it difficult for them to stay home when they are ill or to care for an ill family member. In turn, UUP members are developing contingency plans that colleges can implement in their absence.

Preventive measures

Even at UUP’s smallest chapter—the New York State Theatre Institute (NYSTI)—people are being careful.

“Since last winter, our backstage area and dressing rooms have been stocked with hand sanitizers,” said NYSTI Chapter President John Romeo. “Our actors have close contacts in greeting audiences after shows, as well as close physical contact with fellow performers.”

Hand-sanitizer dispensers have also been installed in strategic locations around several SUNY campuses, most notably near doorways to residence halls and student centers and in other high-traffic areas.

Several UUPers have expressed the importance of leading by example, and are encouraging their colleagues to wash their hands, cover their mouths while coughing, and talk frankly with students about the implications of influenza and other serious illnesses. Some faculty have incorporated discussions on the pandemic into their course work.

Hot shots

Prevention is the best medicine. And the best prevention is inoculation.

With college campuses a veritable petri dish of flu activity, UUPers are positioning themselves to immunize students and employees as soon as the vaccination is available. As The Voice went to press, the vaccine was expected by mid-October, though details of the type and availability of vaccines were still being worked out. Newsday in late August reported that a nasal H1N1 virus may be available for children, but by all other accounts the majority of vaccines will be administered by needle in two doses, three weeks apart.

Several campus-based health centers are in contact with state and local health departments, who will provide the protocols for inoculation. Many are working with the CDC to see how much serum will be available, and still others are surveying students to determine how many will actually take the vaccine.

Meanwhile, members at SUNY’s three teaching hospitals—in Brooklyn, Stony Brook and Syracuse—are in ongoing discussions with campus administrators about procedures and regulations for voluntary and mandatory immunizations.

At Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, UUPers are “engaged in labor/management talks about how best to protect the community and address the concerns of our members,” said statewide Treasurer Rowena Blackman-Stroud, president of the union’s Brooklyn HSC Chapter. “It’s a work in progress.”

Upstate Medical University Chapter President Carol Braund said UUP members there have been part of the discussions about the seasonal flu, as well as the H1N1 virus from the time it emerged as a health issue.

“Our members are the physicians, residents, managers and nurses that are—and will be—at the forefront of this process,” said Braund, an assistant director of nursing. “We were part of the campaign to encourage everyone to get the flu shot last year and will be a part of the H1N1 flu immunization plan this year.”

– Karen L. Mattison

CDC safety tips

#1: Take preventive actions.

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
• If you have flu symptoms, the CDC recommends you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone, and limit contact with others to prevent infecting them.

#2: Watch for H1N1 symptoms.

• The symptoms of H1N1 flu virus in people are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu.
• Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.
• A significant number of people who have been infected with H1N1 flu virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting.

#3: Take time to get vaccinated.

• The CDC recommends a yearly seasonal flu vaccine as the first and most important step in protecting against viruses.
• Vaccination is important for people at high risk of seasonal flu complications, such as the elderly, pregnant women, children, and health care workers.
• A seasonal flu vaccine will not protect against H1N1. An H1N1 vaccine is in production.
• People at greatest risk for novel H1N1 infection are children, college-aged students, pregnant women, people with chronic health issues, and the elderly.