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PAMS H1N1 Flu Resources

UPDATED: October 13, 2009

Overview

Like other colleges and universities across the country, NC State is consistently updating its preparedness plans for potential public health threats. One such potential threat is the H1N1 Flu, a strain of influenza A formerly referred to as Swine Flu. Cases of H1N1 have been reported in recent months on campus - as well as across North Carolina, throughout the United States and internationally.

In the event of a pandemic outbreak of H1N1, NC State's Office of Environmental Health and Public Safety has a detailed response plan (NCSU login/password required). While a university-wide closure is an unlikely extreme, there is a high probability that the campus community will experience additional cases of H1N1 during the 2009-2010 academic year. While no means an exhaustive list, this page includes some resources that may help PAMS faculty and staff plan for and deal with issues related to H1N1.

Should you have additional questions, please send an e-mail message to pams_info@ncsu.edu or contact Chris Gould, PAMS Associate Dean for Administration, or your department's member of the H1N1 planning team (listed at the bottom of this page).

Class Attendance Policy

While the establishment of class attendance policies remains at the discretion of the faculty, questions have been raised about the possibility of amending course syllabi in the short term to deal with H1N1-related issues. Should you choose to amend your policy, here is some draft language you may wish to consider:

If you are ill with symptoms of H1N1 influenza (i.e. fever over 100, sore throat, cough, stuffy or runny nose, fatigue, headache, body aches, vomiting and diarrhea) please do not come to class. Instead, immediately contact your medical provider or Student Health Services (515-7107) for advice or to arrange an appointment.

If you are diagnosed with H1N1, please inform your instructor immediately. You will be required to be isolated away from class until at least 24 hours after you are free of fever (100 degrees), or signs of a fever, wthout the use of fever-reducing medications.

Notification Process

Upon notification that one of your students has been diagnosed with H1N1, we are asking PAMS faculty to follow these steps:

  1. Notify your Department Head and/or Course Coordinator.
  2. Notify Steve Townsend, PAMS Director of Communications, at 513-0300 or steven_townsend@ncsu.edu.

Currently, the university is not requiring faculty or departments to notify entire classes or lab groups if a fellow student has been diagnosed. Should you choose to inform your class or lab, please keep in mind that the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the confidentiality of student health records, so please refrain from using the name of the student.

Preventing the Spread of H1N1

The main thing all of us in the PAMS community can do is be aware of the symptoms, treatment and prevention of H1N1 and other forms of influenza. Please click here to view an informational flyer on H1N1. More information can be found by clicking on the links below.

Helpful Links

PAMS H1N1 Planning Team

  • Chris Gould, PAMS Associate Dean for Administration
  • Di Bucklad, Mathematics
  • Darrell Cooley, Physics
  • Pete Evans, PAMS Computing
  • John Fountain, MEAS
  • John Monahan, Statistics
  • Jeff Scroggs, Mathematics
  • Laura Sremaniak, Chemistry
  • Steve Townsend, PAMS Communications
  • Keith Warren, Physics