Kimberly Goff-Crews and Nimalan Chinniah: Swine flu preparations
April 27, 2009
To: The University Community
From: Kimberly Goff-Crews, Vice President for Campus Life and Dean of Students in the University; Nimalan Chinniah, Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer
Subject: Swine flu preparations
As concerns rise about the possibility of an outbreak of swine flu in the United States, the University of Chicago is preparing to screen for and treat the disease, and take additional precautions as needed.
While the federal government declared a public health emergency Sunday, officials have likened the process to guarding against a hurricane at sea that may or may not make landfall. By midday Monday, there had been no swine flu deaths in the U.S. and no reports of the illness in Illinois.
Still, we take the situation seriously, and as a precaution we urge you to seek medical attention if you have been to Mexico in the last 14 days or have been in contact with someone who has been in Mexico during that time; AND you experience some of the following symptoms:
- Fever greater than 100 degrees F, 37.8 degrees C
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Stuffy nose
- Chills
- Headache and body aches
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
Those symptoms could also result from many more common conditions such as allergies or gastroenteritis, so please consider your connection to Mexico and the severity of your symptoms before seeking attention. For the latest information on Swine Flu please see the Centers for Disease Control website, which has useful tips and background at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you.htm.
Beginning at 8 a.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, April 28, the University will open a satellite location to perform Swine Flu Education and Screening on the 4th floor, southwest corner of the Ellis Avenue parking structure located at 5525 S. Ellis Ave. If students, faculty or staff who are already on campus find themselves with a combination of the flu symptoms and have had contact with Mexico as noted above, they should visit the Center for more information, a brief evaluation and further instructions.
Members of the community who are away from campus should not return to campus for evaluation, but if necessary, should seek attention from their primary health care provider. If a non-University provider diagnoses any member of the campus community with Swine Flu, please email that news to Dr. Kristine Bordenave at kbordena@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu; we will keep that information confidential, but use it to better protect other members of the community.
Because of their population density, university communities are susceptible to the spread of illness. It is always good to take common health precautions, including washing your hands frequently or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to clean your hands, especially before eating, and covering your mouth if you cough or sneeze.
The possibility of a flu pandemic is part of the University’s Emergency Management Plan, and a subcommittee representing the University of Chicago Medical Center, the Student Care Center, the Infection Control Program, Environmental Health and Safety, Undergraduate Student Housing and other affected units will continue to meet as long as the swine flu presents a threat.
As new information becomes available, it will be posted online at http://news.uchicago.edu/btn/swineflu.php. That site will also contain links to other communications and useful information. We will communicate any major developments by email and other means as appropriate.