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PSS receives H1N1 update
The Professional Staff Senate received a briefing at its Thursday meeting on efforts to minimize the impact of H1N1 “swine” flu on UB.
As the semester gets under way, some students are experiencing mild flu symptoms, said Jim Reger, emergency planning program manager for Environment, Health and Safety Services. Though government laboratories generally are not testing people with mild symptoms to determine what type of flu they have contracted, at least some sick students probably have H1N1 because the regular flu season has yet to begin, Reger noted.
While some higher education institutions have established quarantine facilities where sick students can reside temporarily, “at UB, we do not have the ability to do that, so we are asking students to go home or self-isolate in their rooms,” he said.
UB is tracking the numbers of sick students through Student Health Services and an online reporting tool that enables sick students to notify university officials about their illness.
Officials are discussing the best way to track staff and faculty absences, which could affect the university’s ability to offer services. Reger reported that seven of 14 people in one department called in sick one day.
He told senators that in recent weeks, officials “did a pretty poor job” of communicating with the university community about H1N1.
“We’re hopefully going to get better at that within the next couple of weeks,” he said, adding that the university is working to make its emergency Web site the “go-to” clearinghouse for H1N1 updates.
The site contains information on the H1N1 virus, including answers to frequently asked questions and a message from Provost Satish K. Tripathi advising faculty members to consider altering absenteeism policies for sick students.
Reger advised those attending the meeting that signs of swine flu include fever, cough, sore throat, chills, fatigue, vomiting and other symptoms. He encouraged everyone to get a seasonal flu vaccine to prevent the spread of seasonal flu. He said swine flu vaccines will be delivered first to those considered to be at high risk for contracting or transmitting the virus, such as pregnant women, children and health care providers.
Employees can protect themselves and colleagues by washing their hands frequently, taking care not to touch their eyes, nose and mouth, and avoiding contact with sick people. Workers who feel ill should stay home, Reger said.
For UB, next steps include continuing to monitor swine flu and keeping the university community up to date on relevant H1N1 news. Hand-sanitizing stations already are in place in on-campus dining facilities and high-traffic areas in residence halls, such as fitness centers, and officials are considering adding more in public places, such as libraries and computer labs. Individuals who want to keep hand sanitizer on their desks should purchase their own, he said.
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