 Announcements
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students:
We are looking forward to an exciting, productive, and healthy year for everyone in the Pace community. Given that flu season is upon us, we want to highlight what each of us can do to stay healthy and avoid, as best we can, the impact of flu-related illnesses on our campuses.
Rates of H1N1 influenza infection are expected to be particularly high this fall. We strongly encourage you to incorporate a few basic actions into your daily routines to help limit the spread of the virus:
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water or with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer dispensers are now located in high-traffic areas throughout Pace.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth; this spreads germs.
- Avoid close contact with others who are sick, if possible.
- Have a thermometer, supply of over-the-counter medicines, alcohol-based hand sanitizer, tissues and other items readily available in the event that you do become ill.
If you are sick, stay home or in your dorm room. It’s important that you avoid infecting others. Seek medical advice from your own health care provider or University Health Care ( www.pace.edu/pace/lienhard/current-students/health) if you have flu-like symptoms. According to new CDC guidelines, students, faculty or staff who live either on or off campus and who have influenza like illness should stay away from others for at least 24 hours after their fever is gone—except to get medical care or for any other necessity. Fever should be gone without the use of fever-reducing medicine before resuming normal activity. A self-care fact sheet is in final development. Check www.pace.edu/H1N1flu for details.
If you have severe illness or you are at high risk for flu complications, contact your health care provider or seek medical care. Your health care provider will determine whether flu testing or treatment is needed.
Healthy students who have roommates or friends who are ill with the flu can assist them by delivering food and other necessary daily supplies while they are in their dorm rooms. While doing this, healthy students should try to maintain at least a six-foot distance from anyone with flu-like symptoms, practice good hand washing hygiene, and encourage their sick roommates or friends to use good cough and sneeze hygiene.
An H1N1 vaccine is currently being developed but won’t be available until later this fall. Public health officials urge individuals to be vaccinated for both seasonal flu and H1N1, especially those in a high-risk category. University Health Care is arranging for immunization clinics for all Pace community members for seasonal flu vaccine and, when available, the H1N1 vaccine.
Pace’s H1N1 Task Force met throughout the summer, assessing information provided by health officials and updating our response plans. We have systems in place to track cases of flu like illness on our campuses and will take appropriate actions as may be indicated. Please check our Web page www.pace.edu/H1N1flu often for campus updates and www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu for general information.
Although we can’t predict what might happen this fall, we are taking actions suggested by public health officials to be well prepared for flu-related illness on campus. We hope you will take reasonable precautions as well – everyone has a part to play in preventing the spread of influenza.
We wish everyone a very healthy start to the new academic year.
Sincerely,
Harriet R. Feldman, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dean and Professor
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William McGrath
Senior Vice President and
Chief Administrative Officer |
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Higher Education H1N1 Map
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Pandemic Flu Gov
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
New York State Department of Health
World Health Organization
National Institutes of Health
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