Department of Education Releases Guidance on H1N1 Flu for
Campuses
Aug. 25, 2009
The Department of Education (ED) has issued guidance for colleges and universities on preparing
for a possible outbreak of the H1N1 influenza virus on campus this fall.
Since the first round of vaccine for the H1N1 virus is not expected
until mid-October, the government is concerned that the flu may
affect large numbers of Americans before inoculations can begin,
especially within high-risk populations such as college students.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen
Sebelius held a conference call last week to discuss the new guidance
and also to urge institutions to review policies and procedures now so
they are prepared to move beyond preventative steps if needed.
Secretary Sebelius said that campuses will be notified of the
specific arrival date of the vaccine as soon as possible in order to
plan for what will likely be a very large vaccination campaign.
Because students are especially vulnerable to this very unpredictable
strain of flu, ED and HHS, in partnership with the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), are preparing a non-traditional marketing
strategy using venues such as Facebook to alert students about how to
limit their exposure and what do to if they get sick. ED’s goal is
twofold: to curtail the spread of the virus and to limit disruption on
campus should an outbreak occur.
The primary web site for all things H1N1-related is www.flu.gov. Other
resources include:
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CDC’s health-focused toolkit for colleges and universities
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ED’s online flu resources for the education community
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ACE’s Pandemic Preparedness
Memo, which gives
a brief overview of some key actions and considerations in preparing for
a potential infection on your campus
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