October 21, 2009
Dear Students, Parents, Faculty, and Staff,
I am writing to update the campus community on the status of the H1N1 virus on campus and to let you know how Health Services is accommodating the rising numbers of ill students.
Current Status: Since early October we have had seventy-three students presenting with flu-like symptoms. Of the seventy-three, thirty-four have recovered and thirty-nine are currently home or are isolating themselves on campus. We are posting updates weekly at www.trincoll.edu/flu, where you can also find links to information sources about the virus, treatment, and how it is spreading. Connecticut is still tracking behind the national average of cases and we have to assume that we are going to see our numbers grow.
How We Are Responding: In accordance with guidelines issued by the CDC, the staff is not testing students with symptoms but rather presuming, because we know we have cases on campus, that they have H1N1 and asking them to follow the policy we sent to everyone in August. Under this policy we are asking all students who live within a reasonable distance of home or other family who can host them to leave campus. We will work with students who can’t leave campus to develop an on-campus isolation strategy. Students in this category who have single bedrooms will be asked to stay in their rooms.
What about Antiviral Treatment?: Again we are following CDC advice and only prescribing antiviral medication (e.g., Tamiflu) for ill students in high risk categories. According to the most recent CDC guidance, people who generally enjoy good health and do not have a significant complicating illness do not need to be treated with antiviral medications. The primary groups of concern are:
-children under two -adults over 65
-pregnant women - those with immunosuppression
- those with compromised respiratory conditions
- those with chronic pulmonary, cardiovascular, renal, hepatic, hematological, or metabolic disorders
- persons under 19 who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy because of increased risk for Reye syndrome
What about the H1N1 Vaccine?: The distribution of vaccine has begun on a national level but at this time only those with the highest risk for complications from H1N1 are being targeted for vaccination. Trinity has registered with the State of Connecticut as a vaccine provider and we are awaiting our first doses of the vaccine. As soon as the vaccine arrives we begin administering it to those at the top of the priority list developed by the CDC and then on a broader scale in accordance with the number of doses we receive.
How You Can Help: The first thing all of us can do is to take care of ourselves and practice good hygiene so we may minimize the spread of the virus. I would also ask those of you who want to be seen in the Health Center to understand that they are straining under a high demand and that this demand is occurring in every health facility in the region and beyond. I ask that you understand that our Health Center staff are doing everything in their power to provide the highest quality care, and that they need to set priorities in responding to people based on the severity of the presenting symptoms.
In closing, I want to extend thanks to all the families and students who have cooperated with the policy of isolation and helped to slow down the spread of the virus, and to faculty who have been sympathetic to the need for students to be absent from class. I also want to thank the many staff who help to keep us informed and to respond to the ill in so many ways. I would like to extend special thanks to the staff in Health Services who are working nobly and against the tide to take care of us one and all.
Sincerely,
Frederick Alford
Dean of Students
August 28, 2009
Dear Trinity Students and Families:
With the new academic year fast approaching and the media abuzz with dire predictions about the H1N1 flu, I wanted to let you know how we have been preparing here at Trinity. We are carefully monitoring the incidence of the virus and taking our main cues from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Connecticut Department of Public Health. We have also continued to participate in information and training sessions and to work with our local consortia of colleges and universities to share best practices.
Prevention and Education
Our immediate efforts will be directed toward preventive hygiene by educating members of the College community about hygiene and initiating good habits that will keep the virus from spreading. We will be making hand sanitizers available at numerous locations on campus and posting health advisories and alerts regularly on the Web and other prominent places on campus to ensure that everyone understands the importance of practicing prevention and recognizes the symptoms of the virus. We will stress the importance of having symptoms checked by the professionals at the Health Center.
Vaccine
As you have probably learned from newspapers, television, and the Internet, researchers hope to have a vaccine to combat the H1N1 flu available in October. If and when it becomes available to us, we will do everything in our power to secure doses for our population. We will offer the seasonal flu vaccine as we have in years past. We anticipate getting the seasonal flu vaccines in October and we will hold a well-publicized flu clinic and encourage anyone who has not gotten a flu shot to drop in and get one then.
Isolation
The next stage of our planning has focused on responding to illness on campus. Should a member of this community become ill with flu-like symptoms, we will require social isolation until that individual has been without the symptoms identified in the CDC guidelines for at least 24 hours. The length of time for isolation will vary but generally ranges from three to seven days. This will mean asking staff who contract the H1N1 flu to stay home, and it means recommending that students who live or have family or friends within a reasonable travel distance go to those homes. We will help make isolation arrangements on campus for students who do not have a nearby home to which they can go. In all cases, we will work with students and their instructors to help students keep up with their course work.
We have also made plans for limiting large social events, athletic contests, or other public activities if conditions warrant. These decisions will be informed by updates coming out of the CDC and will be made in accordance with the circumstances as we know them at the time.
Steps You Can Take
As you prepare for your son’s or daughter’s return, it is a good idea to reinforce the importance of prevention and paying attention to signals that may indicate illness. We recommend that students bring to campus a digital thermometer and some alcohol-based hand sanitizer. If your student is currently ill with flu-like symptoms, please keep him or her at home and let my office know he or she will be returning late so we can notify instructors. For those of you who want to stay informed about conditions on campus, we will post periodic updates on the College Website (www.trincoll.edu/safety.) For more facts about the H1N1 virus and how it is advancing in Connecticut, you can consult www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu or www.ct.gov/ctfluwatch.
In the meantime, I wish you a smooth time of transition. As a parent I know that helping a son or daughter get ready to leave for college can be a trying time. I have one child who is highly organized and one who is a bit more happy-go-lucky and each presented her and his own challenges. I also know that for some of you this is a time of separation and for others a return to the blessings of the empty nest. Several years of watching this unfold have taught me that nearly everyone eventually makes the right adjustments and that it all works out.
Thank you all for your effort to keep all members of the Trinity community in good health. Although we can’t eliminate the spread of the virus, our collective efforts can significantly minimize its reach and impact on campus.
We look forward to having your students back on campus and to the new academic year.
Sincerely,
Frederick Alford
Dean of Students