According to information released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the swine flu is a new flu virus that was first detected in April of this year. They report that the virus is currently spreading from person to person and it is unknown how severe the outbreak will be. People are not likely to have immunity towards it resulting in more severe illness and a higher number of cases. There is no vaccine against swine flu but the virus does respond to certain anti-viral medications such as Tamiflu and Relenza.
The fact that the virus spreads from person to person is not good news for Albright. Gina Crance, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students explains, “we are a residential learning community so we have probably well over 2,000 people on campus at any given time between students, faculty, staff, visitors, and administrators, so given the communicable nature of the swine flu, and the seriousness, it makes our community more vulnerable”.
Although there is currently an increased risk for Albright to be affected by the swine flu, the college is prepared, thanks largely in part to the Pandemic Planning Task Force (PPTF). According to Samantha Wesner, the world is historically overdue for a pandemic. Because of that, in 2006 the Department of Education sent out information requesting that Colleges and Universities develop pandemic plans.
Over the past three years a group of faculty, staff, and administration has been working to develop an extensive plan for the college to follow should a pandemic situation arise. Earlier this semester the World Health Organization raised the level of pandemic awareness from a level three, where it has been for the past three years, to a level five. Since that change, the PPTF has been meeting weekly and talking every day while closely monitoring the number of cases across the country, as well as in Pennsylvania, to decide what action needs to be taken on campus.
Many different people are involved in Albright’s pandemic plans. Wesner is the chair of the PPTF, and is joined by representatives from housing, public safety, IT, food services, the controller’s office, the registrar’s office, human resources, faculty, college relations, among others.
One of the biggest issues facing the task force is how to decrease the spread of the virus should it hit Albright. The virus is currently spreading human to human making it very easy for people to become infected. The pandemic plan outlines several ways to deal with this issue. Their first plan of action is to send infected students home. However, Albright, as well as most colleges and universities, has many international students on campus. Wesner says, “we have international students and you can’t put a sick student on a plane, you have to take care of them”. She also explains that some students are from out of state and would also have problems getting home. For students like that, the school has designated quarantine and isolation homes to care for those who either got infected or exposed to the virus.
The PPTF has other measures in place should students or other members of the college become infectedas well. They understand that if Albright experienced a confirmed case of the swine flu, the need for information would increase dramatically. College relations has developed an extensive question and answer document to be sent out and placed on the college web site, and the school has set aside phone lines specifically to deal with inquiries about the flu. If the phone lines ever needed to be put to use, members of the PPTF would be prepared to answer calls with all the necessary information in front of them.
From a prophylactic standpoint, the college and the PPTF have placed information on the college homepage, sent e-mails to students and parents, placed hand sanitizer in common areas on campus, and gave out bottles of hand sanitizer to individual rooms in the residence halls.
Although Albright has an extensive pandemic plan designed to handle illness outbreaks such as the swine flu, it becomes difficult for them to take the proper action if they are not kept informed about possible cases on the campus. Wesner explains, “if it’s a student, we recommend that they come to the health center on campus because we need to know so that we can protect the rest of the community.”
Her thoughts were echoed by Dean Crance, “if you know you’re sick get to the doctor, get to the health center, make sure you’re okay, we need to try to help people stay healthy, and move beyond this”.
Any member of the Albright community that has concerns about exposure or possible infection is encouraged to contact their primary health care provider or see the Health Center right away.
For more information concerning student opinion on the swine flu at Albright as well as how to keep yourself healthy, what to do if you fear infection, and what signs and symptoms to watch out for, please watch and listen to the video and audio components of this post.
Note: To listen to the audio portion of this blog you must download the file.
Additional Sources of Information:
2. Pennsylvania Department of Health
4. Berks County Pandemic Advisory Council
5. Gable Health and Counseling Center
The following video contains additional statistics and information on the swine flu in the US and Pennsylvania
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