Swine Flu Preparedness: A Letter to Parents from President Weisbuch
August 24, 2009
Dear Drew Parent or Guardian,
Health officials are warning
of a resurgence of H1N1 influenza, or Swine Flu, this fall. Members
of the Drew emergency management team have been working over the summer
to prepare for this possibility. I’d like to take this opportunity
to brief you on our plans.
Because the flu spreads through
human contact, we are directing our facilities staff to clean more frequently,
paying greater attention to places that are heavily trafficked and objects
that are touched often, such as doors and desks. Facilities will also
be installing hand sanitizing stations in buildings throughout the campus.
Of course, since proper hygiene is ultimately the responsibility of
the individual, we will also be posting flyers across campus reminding
members of the community to wash their hands, and instructing them on
proper sneezing etiquette. While this may sound overly simplistic, the
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is actually supplying the posters
and encouraging institutions to display them.
The CDC is also recommending
that all college-age students be vaccinated for H1N1 influenza. The
vaccine is expected to become available in late October and Drew’s
Office of Health Services will make it available to all undergraduates
free of charge. Beginning in late September, Health Services will also
offer a vaccination for seasonal flu for $20. To minimize infection,
please encourage your student to receive both vaccines.
We expect to see cases of H1N1
flu on campus this fall and are prepared to manage students according
to guidelines issued by the CDC. While we will be able to care for students
on campus, recuperation should take place at home whenever possible.
For this reason, I encourage you to
think now about how you would respond should your student come down
with the flu. Because the symptoms of Swine and seasonal flu are
indistinguishable, Drew will treat anyone with flu-like symptoms
as if they have H1N1 Flu.
We will remain in close contact
with state and local health officials throughout the year and will continue
to follow all guidelines issued by the CDC for institutions of higher
education. We have created a special Web page—www.drew.edu/swineflu—on
which we will post the latest information about influenza on campus.
All communications on this topic will be archived there as well, along
with links to other helpful resources like the CDC guidelines mentioned
above.
As always, know that we will
be doing our best to ensure this is a healthy, as well as happy, school
year.
Sincerely,
Robert Weisbuch
President
