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H1N1 Flu Policy

This policy is also available in PDF format for downloading and printing purposes.

Contents

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to help ensure workplace health and safety and the well being of students, faculty, staff, and visitors to the College by reducing the potential or actual exposure to the Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus or seasonal flu. MacMurray College will monitor guidance and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO), as well as state and local health officials, and may revise this swine flu policy as more information becomes available.

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Personal Actions

Prevention of Illness

MacMurray College endorses and encourages all faculty, staff and students to adhere to the guidance of the CDC in order to minimize your risk of becoming sick with seasonal or H1N1 flu. The CDC recommends four main prevention techniques:

  1. Practice good hygiene by washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol based hand cleaners are also effective. Frequently clean commonly used surfaces such as door knobs, refrigerator handles, remote controls, keyboards, counter tops, faucets, and bathroom areas.
  2. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder, not into your hands. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread this way.
  3. Stay home or at your place of residence if you are sick for at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius) or signs of a fever (have chills, feel very warm, have a flushed appearance, or are sweating), except to get medical care. This should be determined without the use of fever reducing medications (any medicine that contains ibuprofen, acetaminophen or aspirin). Staying away from others ("self isolation") while sick, even if you are taking antiviral drugs for treatment of the flu, can prevent others from getting sick too. Ask a roommate, friend, or family member to check up on you and to bring you food and supplies if needed.
  4. Talk to your health care provider to find out if you should be vaccinated for seasonal flu and/or H1N1 flu. Individuals who are at higher risk of complications may benefit from early treatment and time to recovery may be shorter for persons treated promptly with antiviral medicines upon the onset of symptoms.

The CDC discourages members of the public who are ill from visiting campus or attending institution sponsored events until they are free of fever for at least 24 hours.

If You Become Ill

MacMurray College faculty, staff and students are required NOT to report to work or school if they have a fever greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38° C), combined with flu-like symptoms, such as:

  1. Cough
  2. Sore throat
  3. Runny or stuffy nose
  4. Body aches
  5. Headache
  6. Chills
  7. Fatigue
  8. Diarrhea and/or
  9. Vomiting

Residential Students

Residential students who exhibit these symptoms should take the following actions:

  1. Notify your professors and the Registrar’s office (479-7014 or alice.dodson@mac.edu) that you are ill with flu like symptoms and will not be able to attend classes.
  2. Notify residence life staff--RA, RD, or Coordinator of Residence Life, Student Organizations and Programs that you are ill.
  3. Go to your family’s home if possible. If this is not possible self-isolate in the residence hall room if living in a single room.
  4. If in a double room, stay at least 6 feet away from roommate and wear a mask if tolerable and recommended. Or ask roommate to stay in another room with healthy roommates temporarily.
  5. Call Dining Hall (479-7069) to arrange a sick tray.
  6. Stay in isolated conditions for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care (your fever should be gone without the use of a fever reducing medicine).
  7. Seek medical attention if necessary.

Commuter Students

Commuter students who exhibit these symptoms should take the following actions:

  1. Notify your professors and the Registrar’s office (479-7014 or alice.dodson@mac.edu) that you are ill with flu-like symptoms and will not be able to attend classes.
  2. Stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care (your fever should be gone without the use of a fever reducing medicine).
  3. Seek medical attention if necessary.

Faculty and Staff

  1. Notify your supervisor that you are ill and will not be able to come to work.
  2. Stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care (your fever should be gone without the use of a fever reducing medicine).
  3. Isolate yourself to keep from potentially exposing other people.
  4. Seek medical advice from your primary care physician or health practitioner.
  5. MacMurray College will require a doctor's note for faculty or staff who remain out of work for more than 3 days to validate illness or to return to work.
  6. Benefits eligible faculty and staff who are ill but do not have not enough accrued sick leave time will be required to use accrued vacation leave or leave without pay for the work hours missed. Faculty and staff who have exhausted all other leave options may request a leave time advance of up to three days.
  7. Faculty and staff must continue to follow normal leave notification procedures and guidelines established by the College. Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) benefits for eligible faculty and staff will be concurrent with authorized sick leave.

All

Faculty, staff or students who display flu-like illness symptoms may be sent home. Those who display symptoms and refuse to leave after being asked to do so may be subject to disciplinary action.

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Institutional Actions

Prevention/Minimizing Swine Flu

College Community

  1. Establish and disseminate the 2009/10 Swine Flu Policy.
  2. Encourage each other to follow the section 1 of the College’s Swine Flu Policy of to maintain the health of the community.
  3. Discourage persons with flu-like symptoms from attending events where large numbers of people will be present. These include sporting events, lectures, theater productions and concerts, and church services.
  4. Discourage visits by persons with flu-like symptoms.

Facilities

Facilities will continue to remain vigilant concerning preventative disinfection activity within academic and administrative buildings and residence halls.

  1. Hand sanitizer pumps will be placed at the main doors of each campus building and all will be encouraged to use them.
  2. Academic and Administrative buildings are cleaned once a day with a cleaning solution. This includes, but is not limited to door frames, push bars, glass, door handles, drinking fountains, toilets, bathroom laboratories, showers, stair railings.
  3. In residence halls anything anyone can touch is cleaned with a cleaning solution twice a day. This includes, but is not limited to door frames, push bars, glass, door handles, drinking fountains, toilets, bathroom laboratories, showers, stair railings.
  4. The Cleaning Solution used is VINDICATOR: A one-step disinfectant germicidal detergent and deodorant. Disinfectant Pseudomonacidal Staphylocidal Salmonellacidal Bactericidal Fungicidal Mildewstatic *Virucidal.

Academic Affairs

  1. Within the constraints of meeting student learning outcomes, space, and the need for some classes to be in specialized rooms, the institution recommends that:
    • Vacant seats be left between students.
    • Desks be moved farther apart.
    • Overcrowded classes, if possible, be moved to a larger space to allow more space between students.
  2. Faculty are asked to examine the classrooms in which they are located to determine if these recommendations can be met. If a classroom needs to be moved the faculty should contact the Registrar’s office to determine if a suitable classroom can be found. The institution understands that certain rooms must be used because the equipment or structure of the room is essential to meet student learning outcomes. An example of such a room would be a science laboratory or art room.
  3. Faculty are required to report students who have not attended class in several days or when an abnormally large number of students are absent on any given day.
    • Faculty will report this to Registrar.
    • Faculty are also required to report e-mails, phone or text messages stating that a student will not be in class due to the flu or flu-like symptoms.
  4. If faculty encounter students who appear ill, they should:
    • Refer them to section 1 of the Swine Flu Policy regarding personal actions that can be taken to prevent the spread of the illness.
    • If needed, help students understand that policy.
  5. While the College recognizes that class attendance is vital to meet its academic mission, faculty should not pressure students who are ill to attend class or to take examinations while still symptomatic and potentially infectious. The College respectfully requests that you consider being flexible with your class attendance and make-up-work requirements for students affected by the H1N1 virus. If the number of students absent becomes excessive, the College may have to consider technological assistance or other means for delivering and interacting with course content.
  6. The Registrar’s office will not necessarily require a doctor's notes to validate student illness or return to class.
  7. The Vice President for Academic Affairs or designee is responsible for reporting the total number of absent faculty and absent students with flu-like symptoms from classes to the Coordinator of Health Services or her designee.

Student Affairs

  1. All staff will encourage students with flu-like symptoms to follow the policies outlined in section 1 of the college’s Swine Flu Policy to prevent the spread of the flu.
  2. Residential Housing Staff will:
    • Encourage students who can to go home.
    • May arrange accommodations for isolation for students who cannot go home. Isolation will last until 24 hours after the symptoms have subsided without the use of fever reducing medication.
    • May implement a sick buddy system whereby isolated students can maintain contact and receive meals and information without spreading any infection.
    • Will identify temporary rooms and housing when necessary.
    • Report the number of sick students to the Health Services. These students will be advised to go to their family home if possible or follow the procedures listed in this policy.
  3. Monitoring and Reporting Absences
    • The Coordinator of Health Services or designee will monitor the number of cases of flu or flu-like symptoms seen in the office. The Coordinator of Health Services or her designee will also maintain overall campus surveillance.
    • The Coordinator of Health Services or designee is responsible for informing The President on the total number of students, faculty and staff who are absent due to the flu or flu-like symptoms.
  4. Information Gathering and Dissemination
    • The Coordinator of Health Services or designee will be responsible for disseminating current information from the Morgan County Health Department and the Center for Disease Control to the campus community.
    • The Coordinator of Health Services or designee will collaborate with local health department, community organizations, local businesses, and social services to ensure that MacMurray College will integrate and coordinate with the greater Jacksonville community.

Other Offices

  1. All supervisors will refer employees to section 1 of the College’s Swine Flu Policy to prevent the spread of the flu.
  2. All supervisors will report employee absences as a result of flu-like symptoms to the Payroll and Benefits Coordinator or another person designated by the Chief Financial Officer.
  3. The Payroll and Benefits Coordinator or another person designated by the Chief Financial Officer is responsible for reporting the overall number of staff absences to the Coordinator of Health Services or designee.

Closing of the College/Activity Suspended

  1. Using all information available as to the status of illness and infection across campus and the community, the President will decide whether to close the campus or cease operations of the College.
  2. That decision will be communicated using standard college closing procedures.
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Conclusion

The H1N1 flu virus has the potential to be an extremely debilitating virus. The College has explicated the process for identification, isolation and education of steps necessary to minimize diminish and lessen the effects of the H1N1 virus on the College Community. Further the policy elaborates on process for said isolation and the identification of potential actions should this flu affect the College in an extraordinary way.

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FAQs

What is swine flu?
H1N1 Influenza ("swine flu") is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. Swine flu viruses have been reported to spread from person-to-person, but in the past, this transmission was limited and not sustained beyond three people.

What are the symptoms in humans?
Symptoms in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu: fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported vomiting and diarrhea.

How does swine flu spread?
Spread of this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is thought to be happening in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

How can someone with the flu infect someone else?
Infected people may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to seven or more days after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.

What is the incubation period after exposure?
About 1-4 days.

How long can an infected person spread swine flu to others?
People with swine influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic and possibly for up to seven days following illness onset. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

What surfaces are most likely to be sources of contamination?
Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. Droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air. Germs can be spread when a person touches commonly used shared surface like a desk, keyboard, door handle, etc. and then touches their own eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands.

How long can viruses live outside the body?
We know that some viruses and bacteria can live two hours or longer on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs and desks. Frequent hand washing will help you reduce the chance of getting contamination from these common surfaces.

Are there medicines to treat the new (H1N1) virus?
Antivirals don't cure the flu, but they do work to lessen the duration and severity of symptoms. CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection. Influenza antiviral drugs work best when started soon after symptoms appear, usually within two days. You must have a prescription to receive these medications.

How can I get antivirals?
If people have flu-like symptoms and are concerned, they should contact their doctors. Doctors will determine whether patients meet the CDC case definition for a suspected case of the new (H1N1) virus, and if so, schedule testing and appropriate treatment, which may include prescribing an antiviral.

How many doses are in a course of antivirals?
A course is about five days of medication.

Should masks be used?
Some individuals in locations where the virus has been confirmed are choosing to wear masks when they are in crowded settings. These masks may look more effective than they are.

How can people decrease the spread of the new (H1N1) virus?
Taking the following steps can decrease the spread of flu:

If I get this flu, can I get it again?
We are learning new information about the virus every day, but we don't yet know about getting it multiple times or becoming re-infected. We do know that with seasonal flu, a person can become re-infected if the virus changes slightly. When a person becomes infected with influenza, he develops antibodies against that particular virus. These antibodies might not recognize a new version of the virus if it changes - or mutates - and so the person can get sick again when they come in contact with the changed virus.

Is seasonal flu more deadly than the new (H1N1) virus?
We are still learning about the new (H1N1) virus. CDC has said it appears to be similar to seasonal flu.

Will classes be cancelled?
Based on the latest advice from the Centers for Disease Control, we do not anticipate canceling classes or any public events at the College. However, officials will be monitoring the situation closely.

How will MacMurray College notify me about the presence of H1N1 on the campus?
This Web site will be updated frequently as news about the flu is available. In addition, the College will use mass emails when necessary to provide the latest information.

If a student misses a class because he/she has the flu, what should she/he do?
See Personal Actions section of the College’s Swine Flu Policy.