As Influenza A (H1N1): Swine Flu spread across Mexico and the United States last week, U-M leaders diligently monitored the situation, keeping an eye on international travel plans and the upcoming commencement celebrations.
Toward the end of the week, with no known cases reported from any of the three campuses and just two confirmed in the state, leaders declared that U-M would conduct business as usual, with a few modifications.
“It is important to emphasize that there is no imminent danger from swine flu to public health at the University of Michigan,” Dr. Robert Winfield, chief health officer and director of the University Health Service, said Thursday, adding that the university would continue to monitor the situation.
The modifications to university business included:
• Providing hand sanitizer for those participating in commencement exercises that included hand shaking. Some units on campus opted to eliminate the traditional handshake. A first-aid station also was added at undergraduate commencement at Michigan Stadium, where students stand en masse for recognition of their degrees, rather than walk across a stage for diplomas, as is the practice in the graduate and unit ceremonies.
• Reaching out to students from Mexico whose relatives or friends might be coming from those areas most affected by Influenza A (H1N1): Swine Flu and encouraging them to connect with university resources for help making informed travel decisions.
• Temporarily suspending all university-sponsored travel to Mexico, pending further developments in the outbreak in the United States and abroad. By the time President Mary Sue Coleman called for the suspension, some units already had canceled or postponed their travel.
The university stressed that all of its actions were consistent with guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which last week recommended that U.S. travelers avoid all nonessential travel to Mexico.
Throughout the process, U-M leaders followed guidelines in its pandemic influenza plan, which was developed three years ago in response to the potential outbreak of avian flu. The university moved from the initial phase “green” to phase “yellow” on Tuesday. The steps taken were consistent with the heightened level of awareness, leaders said.
“This is a very fast-changing situation that will require diligence from all of us. While we do not yet know how we will need to respond, we are absolutely confident we will be prepared to respond,” Winfield and Provost Teresa Sullivan wrote in a message to the campus Thursday.
The university also provided the community with additional advice for avoiding Influenza A (H1N1): Swine Flu, and offered information about what to do if a case is suspected:
• Faculty, staff or students who experience flu-like symptoms are being encouraged to use their sick days and stay home from work to keep others from getting sick. Flu-like symptoms are defined as a fever of 100.4 F (38 C) or higher, runny nose, cough and respiratory congestion.
• Faculty, staff or students who experience flu-like symptoms and have traveled to Mexico in the last seven days or have been exposed to someone with Influenza A (H1N1): Swine Flu in the last seven days, are urged to seek treatment from their regular health care provider.
Additionally:
• Health care providers within the U-M Health System and at University Health Service have increased their surveillance of patients with flu-like symptoms.
• Employees involved in various aspects of the university’s emergency-response and business-continuity planning met Friday to begin reviewing procedures created three years ago.
• Winfield has convened a group of U-M officials from all segments of campus to monitor the swine flu outbreak and make recommendations for specific actions. The diverse group includes U-M medical personnel, public health and infectious disease experts, academic officers, public safety, emergency management, international studies, communications and a representative of the Washtenaw County Health Department.
The university has created two Web sites to provide information related to the outbreak of swine flu.
Information on the U-M response to the swine flu outbreak is available at: www.umich.edu/flu-swine.php.
Information for patients and visitors to U-M medical facilities is available at: www.med.umich.edu/flu.
