Swine Flu and Your School

The current WHO phase of pandemic alert is 5 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed the use of a six-phased approach for easy incorporation of new recommendations and approaches into existing national preparedness and response plans. On Wednesday afternoon, April 29, 2009, WHO announced that the current phase of pandemic alert is 5.

Phase 4 is characterized by verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause "community-level outbreaks." The ability to cause sustained disease outbreaks in a community marks a significant upwards shift in the risk for a pandemic. Any country that suspects or has verified such an event should urgently consult with WHO so that the situation can be jointly assessed and a decision made by the affected country if implementation of a rapid pandemic containment operation is warranted. Phase 4 indicates a significant increase in risk of a pandemic but does not necessarily mean that a pandemic is a forgone conclusion.

Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.

Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way.

Information on Swine Influenza A (H1N1)

Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have been identified in the United States. Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection also have been identified internationally.

Federal Public Heath Officials are urging everyone to take universal precautions which include:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

• Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
• If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

There are unique precautions that schools should take to limit exposure and keep everyone healthy. If your school has been affected by the outbreak, there are some measures that you can take to get back to normal as quickly and safely as possible. The following are some tips for school personnel.

Prevention and Preparations

• Place posters on hand washing and infection control in schools and online.
• Provide information to schools, parents, and staff about hand sanitizers, cough and sneeze etiquette, signs and symptoms of influenza.
• Ensure custodial staff has appropriate training on proper cleaning and disinfecting work and play areas.
• Ensure schools and departments have adequate supplies (soaps, hand sanitizers, and paper towels).
• Check First Aid Kits and add N95 face masks for school nurses and other staff.
• Establish and test an emergency communication protocol, including an internal communication staff tree.
• Provide information to staff and parents on pandemic planning for families.
• Develop Incident Command Center protocol, location, equipment and assign staff.
• Develop plans for operating with staff workforce reduction.
• Develop plans to secure buildings, information technology, and finance.
• Encourage employees to use Direct Deposit.
• Encourage parents to have alternative child care plans.
• Develop plans for educational continuity if schools close.
  • Study packets, suggested educational activities, and internet educational links for students and parents
  • Web-based education options:
    • On-line classes
    • Virtual school
    • Education Blogs
    • Home school educational websites
• Find out if vendors in the supply chain have a pandemic or emergency plan for continuity or recovery of supply deliveries.
• Plan for a full school closure or a partial school closure (i.e., some but not all schools are closed, or students are dismissed but staff works with local agencies to assist families).
• Develop a mental health plan for students and staff, in conjunction with local mental health services staff to implement during a pandemic event and during the recovery phase; the plan should include Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome counseling.
• Develop Human Resources employee emergency contact lists and reciprocal contact procedures; Human Resources should conduct a study of critical infrastructure staff with young children (because they are more likely to remain home during a widespread illness event) to determine if redundancy plans are necessary; develop a Fitness for Duty checklist to determine if an employee is ready to return to work and under what conditions.
• The local school superintendent should establish a command structure in the event that he or she is unable to continue work during the pandemic event or is unable to return to work during the recovery phase; develop central office teleconferencing protocols in the event that schools are closed.
• Develop plans to conduct table-top exercises to practice and refine pandemic plan.
• Apply all plans and procedures to after-school programs.
  

This swine flu advisory is provided by:

Sonayia Shepherd-Akinlade, Ph.D.
COO/Analyst
Safe Havens International, Inc.
1777 Bennett Drive
McDonough, GA 30253
877.821.PLAN (7526)
Fax: 888.491.8158
sonayia@hotmail.com

MEDIA TIPSHEET: COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY EXPERTS AVAILABLE TO TALK ABOUT CURRENT FLU OUTBREAK

Note to Editors: The following is a media tip sheet that includes information about experts and resources at Colorado State University. The contact information for experts is intended to provide resources to reporters and editors and is not intended as contact information for the public. To arrange interviews, please contact the person listed with each topic.

FORT COLLINS - Current Flu Outbreak and the U.S. Animal Population: Colorado State University veterinarians can discuss the current flu outbreak on the US animal population. They can help the public understand why there is no current health risk to people from pigs in the US, the current safety of the US food supply, how the flu virus impacts pigs and how it may be transmitted between humans and pigs in rare cases, and how this current outbreak has not been tied to a transmission from pig, but why it's still being call 'swine flu.' They also can discuss clinical signs in animals, biosecurity around animals and how influenza viruses that impact animals can also impact humans. To speak to these experts, who are professors in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, contact Dell Rae Moellenberg at (970) 491-6009 or DellRae.Moellenberg@colostate.edu.

Response to the Current Outbreak: Colorado State University immunology and pathology professor Gerald Callahan is also an expert in helping the public understand complex scientific issues. He is available to talk about how this outbreak of H1N1 -- swine flu -- compares to notable past flu outbreaks or pandemics; the appropriateness of the response of media, the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization; and the basic biology of the virus and precautions people should take. To speak with Callahan, please contact Dell Rae Moellenberg at 970-491-6009 or DellRae.Moellenberg@colostate.edu.

Food Safety: Colorado State University food safety expert Marisa Bunning can discuss the current safety of food in the United States. This includes addressing questions about how the current flu cannot be contracted by eating pork and that the flu is not being passed through food imported into the United States from Mexico. To speak with Bunning, please contact Dell Rae Moellenberg at (970) 491-6009 or DellRae.Moellenberg@colostate.edu.

International travel: Jim Cooney, vice provost for International Affairs, and Martha Denney, director of International Education, can talk in general about the impact of outbreaks such as swine flu on students, faculty and staff who have international projects and travel. Before joining Colorado State in 2006, Cooney served as executive director of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University - the largest research center in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard. Prior to that, he served as the dean of international programs and a lecturer in public policy for Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. To speak with Cooney or Denney, contact Emily Wilmsen at (970) 491-2336 or Emily.Wilmsen@colostate.edu.