Weekly Influenza UpdateOctober 16, 2009

TO: The Gustavus Community
FROM: The Gustavus Pandemic Advisory Committee

Greetings,

This week the Pandemic Advisory Committee would like to take a moment to thank everyone on campus who has contributed to keeping our campus safe and healthy. Although we continue to see ILI cases, for the third week in a row the number remains constant, without any significant increase as might be expected in this highly contagious virus. We attribute this consistency to healthy habits and prevention efforts that students, staff, and faculty have embraced whole heartedly!

There have been 75 new cases of ILI reported in the past week. Most cases continue to be relatively mild; however, there have been some students experiencing more severe symptoms. Health Service would like to remind people that even once your fever is gone, your body still needs extra rest and fluids to fully recover. We encourage people to return to class as soon as their fever resolves, but to refrain from extra-curricular and social activities until other symptoms have improved as well. This is your best way to prevent a secondary infection or further complications.

The College has not yet learned the arrival date for the H1N1 vaccine. When the vaccine arrives, the Health Service will hold on-campus H1N1 clinics for students. The dates for the clinics will be announced on the Student-L and on the College's H1N1 website.

The Minnesota Department of Health, however, has announced distribution criteria for the first wave of the H1N1 vaccine in Minnesota:

  • Pregnant women, persons who live with or provide care for infants less than 6 months old;
  • Health-care and emergency medical services personnel who have direct contact with patients or infectious material;
  • Children aged 6 months through 4 years; and
  • Children and adolescent aged 5-18 years who have medical conditions that put them at higher risk for influenza-related complications.

As always, thank you for your attention to this important information.

Sincerely,

Pandemic Advisory Committee Co-Chairs
Heather Dale, Director of Health Service and
Ray Thrower, Director of Campus Safety