September 3, 2009

Letter to Faculty Members

Dear Faculty Members,

Although I hesitate to welcome you to the 2009-10 academic year with precautions for preparing for an influenza like illness, I do want to tell you how pleased I am to see the faculty activity in preparation for the coming semester, and I do want you to have the healthiest year possible.  I would like to update you on the H1N1 Novel Influenza virus situation.  As many of you are aware, cases of H1N1 (previously swine flu) were introduced to the United States in the spring of 2009.  H1N1 is a viral respiratory illness which can vary from mild upper respiratory symptoms to influenza like illness.  H1N1 is now present in 70 countries and many cases have been confirmed in the Twin Cities area.  Fortunately this virus has behaved very much like a seasonal flu and most cases have been mild.  The expectation is that there will be cases of H1N1 this fall in addition to the seasonal influenza. The following link takes you to the University’s pandemic web site http://www.stthomas.edu/pandemic/default.html

I would like to emphasize some simple tips for staying healthy with which I know you are familiar.

• Wash your hands frequently with soap or hand sanitizer.
• Practice good health habits including getting enough sleep and paying attention to your nutrition and hydration.
• Avoid close contact with sick people, when possible.
• Avoid touching your nose, mouth, and eyes. This spreads germs.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the elbow/sleeve technique for coughing and sneezing.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Receive the flu vaccine and H1N1 vaccine, when available and if advisable.

Should you become ill, please keep in mind the following guidelines.

• If your illness is mild (not an illness for which you would normally seek medical help), stay home until you are well to avoid spreading the illness.
• If you have an influenza like illness (ILI) (defined as fever equal to or greater than 100.0 plus a cough or sore throat) contact your physician to determine if you need to be evaluated.  This is especially important if you have any chronic medical problems such as asthma or diabetes or if you are pregnant.  If you have chronic medical problems or are pregnant, an antiviral medication may be recommended for you.
• If you do have an ILI, based on recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control, you must self-isolate for at least 24 hours after your fever has broken.  This means staying at home for this period of time.  All faculty members should have provisions in their syllabus for this period of self isolation in the event of illness.

St. Thomas will follow the CDC guidelines for post secondary educational institutions in response to human infections with Novel Influenza A (H1N1) virus. Our UST Health Services staff will be monitoring the campus closely with regard to reported illness, and they will be in contact with the Minnesota Department of Health, as necessary.  Our goal is to continue classes as scheduled throughout the year; however, should the Minnesota Department of Health request that we suspend classes; we will address this on a class by class basis.  The following link for planning procedures for a pandemic should be helpful. http://www.stthomas.edu/irt/forfaculty/pandemicplan/default.html

You will receive periodic updates via the Bulletin as information becomes available.  Thank you for your continued cooperation. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions.

Sincerely,

Susan J. Huber, Ed.D.
Executive Vice President
and Chief Academic Officer