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October 19, 2009 Memo to Faculty and Staff
regarding Influenza A (H1N1/Swine Flu)
Memorandum
To: All Faculty and Staff
From: President Kleniewski
Date: October 19, 2009
Re: H1N1 Flu
This update is meant to provide you with current information and to repeat the recommendations that were made earlier this semester. Since the beginning of the semester, we have had 71 students who were reported to have flu-like illness. Since the Health Center and many community providers are not testing for H1N1, we cannot confirm if we have cases of H1N1 among our students.
It continues to be important to take steps to prevent a major outbreak of flu on our campus. To assist us in our endeavors to protect the campus community, we are providing the guidelines listed below:
- Practice good hand hygiene by washing hands frequently especially after touching common items such as keyboards, door knobs and elevator buttons or after you cough or sneeze. Use soap and water or alcohol-based hand cleaners. Instant hand sanitizers are located across campus.
- Practice respiratory etiquette by practicing good hand hygiene by covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your sleeve at your elbow or shoulder, not into your hands. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth; germs are spread this way.
- Clean surfaces and items that are more likely to have frequent hand contact such as desks, door knobs, keyboards, or pens, with cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas.
- Talk with your health care provider about whether you should be vaccinated for H1N1 and/or seasonal flu. It is unlikely that the Health Center will have either the seasonal or the H1N1 flu vaccine available for employees, so please plan accordingly.
- If you are pregnant, have asthma, diabetes, or other conditions that put you at higher risk for complications from the flu, you should speak with your doctor as soon as possible if you develop symptoms of flu-like illness. People at high risk of flu complications who develop flu can benefit from early treatment with antiviral medicines. Contact Human Resources if you have any of the conditions outlined above and have any concerns.
- If you are sick with flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, body ache, headache, sore throat, cough, nasal congestion; vomiting and/or diarrhea) stay home. Return to work 7 days from the onset of the first symptom OR if you have a fever, after your temperature is normal for 24 hours. Notify your supervisor of your absence.
- Sick leave and other available accruals should be charged during your absence.
- If you have children, it may be advantageous to make arrangements for alternate care if your child gets sick or his or her school is dismissed.
- As always, if you need to stay home with a sick child, contact your supervisor as normal and charge family sick leave or other appropriate accruals for the duration of the absence.
We all hope that the flu season will be minimally disruptive and the College will do whatever it can to prevent a major outbreak of illness. We believe, however, that it is prudent to plan responses as best we can before a potential crisis and I urge you to do so. Thank you for your cooperation.
Please refer to the College website, http://www.oneonta.edu for updates.
