Emergency Management

Five Good Reasons to Get your Free H1N1 Vaccination Now

1)  Public Health experts advise us that we are currently in the window during which the third wave of the H1N1 pandemic can be expected to occur.  A number of the students seen for influenza like illness in the fall were very ill with five or more days of high fever, terrible cough, severe body aches and other miserable symptoms which precluded going to class, socializing or participating in athletic endeavors.

2)  Relatively few people on campus have been vaccinated.  The risk of a big wave of influenza on campus persists.

3)  There is still no widely available rapid point-of-care test to distinguish between seasonal flu, H1N1, or other influenza-like illnesses.  We are still advised to treat patients with influenza-like illness (fever >100^o F with cough or sore throat in the absence of competing diagnosis) as if they have H1N1.  This means recommending self-isolation and providing relocation when necessary.  Patients who have been vaccinated against H1N1 are considered protected and would not need to be isolated as aggressively.

4)  The safety profile of the vaccine to date has been excellent, equivalent to seasonal flu vaccine.

5)  The vaccine is free and readily available for students, faculty and staff at the Davison Health Center by calling (860) 685-2470 to schedule an appointment.

See recent blog below for details of City Clinic on 2/17.

CITY OF MIDDLETOWN CLINIC:

Health officials urge anyone who has not been immunized against the H1N1 virus to get vaccinated at a free flu clinic on Wednesday, February 17, from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM in the Middletown City Hall Council Chamber. Officials say that the threat of H1N1 may not be over and that a resurgence of the virus is possible.

There is no age or residency restriction and insurance is not necessary. The vaccine will be given on a first come-first serve basis. Appointments are not required.

For more information, call (860) 344-3474. To download a vaccination administration form: www.cityofmiddletown.com, then click on “H1N1 (Swine Flu) Tips and Free Clinic Information”.

People who have a severe allergy to eggs or running a fever should not receive the vaccine. The H1N1 vaccine is not effective against seasonal influenza.

More H1N1 flu clinics are expected to be scheduled and are sponsored by MDA 36: the City of Middletown; the towns of Cromwell, Durham, Haddam and Middlefield.

CAMPUS AVAILABILITY:

The Davison Health Center will continue to offer free H1N1 vaccine to students, faculty and staff by appointment.  Please call the Health Center at (860) 685-2470 to schedule an appointment.

Davison Health Center will be offering free H1N1 flu clinics for all interested students, faculty and staff over the next few weeks as vaccine is obtained from the State Health Department.  Clinics will be held Thursday, January 28 from 10am-2pm; Monday, February 1 from 1pm-4pm and Monday, February 8 from 10am-2pm. No appointment necessary.  Please follow signs inside the Health Center for “H1N1 flu clinic waiting room”.

At this time we do not have enough vaccine to offer to dependents or retirees.  Please check your local community for free vaccine availability.

The Davison Health Center will begin offering H1N1 flu clinics to any student interested in receiving the vaccination.  The first two clinics are planned for Tuesday, January 26 and Thursday, January 28 from 10am to 2pm. No appointment necessary.  Follow the signs inside the Health Center for “H1N1 flu clinic waiting area”.

The vaccine is provided free through the State Department of Health.  Supplies will be replenished on a regular basis and clinics will continue to be offered throughout the semester.  Faculty and staff will be notified when clinics will be open to the entire campus community.

Contact Joyce Walter with questions at 860-685-2656 or jwalter@wesleyan.edu

Current Influenza-Like Illness Activity at Wesleyan

Rates of cases influenza-like illness (ILI) (fever >100 F with cough and or sore throat absent a competing diagnosis) on campus have declined over the past few weeks.  We have identified over 211 cases since the beginning of the semester.  Our peak day for diagnoses was 10/18/09.  We are currently identifying an average of 3 cases per day.  Of these, we estimate that one quarter to one third have H1N1.  Many of these students have recovered within a few days and most have recovered within a week, although some remain achy and fatigued for a few days to a week or more after the cough and fever resolve.  We have had several cases of secondary pneumonia, but no other known complications and no hospitalizations. We currently have no active cases that are in self-isolation at this time.

Please review previous postings for more detailed review of our planning and management.

Current H1N1 Vaccine Program at Wesleyan

We continue to work closely with state and local health officials to expedite and optimize vaccine delivery.  We have obtained a supply of the H1N1 vaccine in injectable form and have run several clinics targeting students and faculty and staff at high risk for complications of H1N1 (as defined below). One hundred sixty four individuals have been vaccinated thus far.  Qualifying students and faculty and staff who have not yet been vaccinated are encouraged to call 860.685.2470 during business hours to schedule vaccination.

We continue to advertise local public H1N1 vaccine clinics.  There will be a clinic Thursday, December 3 from noon – 6 pm at Middletown Town Hall (245 deKoven Dr) at which nasal spray vaccine will be administered to qualified recipients.   Residents eligible to receive the nasal spray must be 2 – 24 years of age in good health, or healthy individuals who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age, or certified emergency medical personnel (license required) who are in good health, or healthcare workers (including schools nurses) in good health who have direct patient contact (especially with children).

Questions may be addressed to:

Joyce Walter, Director, Davison Health Center  jwalter@wesleyan.edu

Davis Smith, Medical Director , Davison Health Center pdsmith@wesleyan.edu

To qualify for the vaccine currently available at Wesleyan you must be:

A Wesleyan student or employee 17-64

AND

Pregnant

OR

Diagnosed with one of the following conditions:

Cancer

Blood disorders (including sickle cell disease)

Chronic lung disease [such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)]

Diabetes

Heart disease

Kidney disorders

Liver disorders

Neurological disorders (such as epilepsy, cerebral palsy, brain or spinal cord injuries, moderate to profound intellectual disability [mental retardation] or developmental delay)

Neuromuscular disorders (such as muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis)

Weakened immune systems (such as people with HIV or AIDS or who are on medications that weaken the immune system)

Tags: H1N1 Flu Update 11-19

Posted in SwineFlu

We continue to see moderate amounts of influenza-like illness (fever >100 F with cough and or sore throat absent a competing diagnosis) on campus, identifying an average of 6 cases per day over the month of October thus far.  Of these, we estimate that one quarter to one third have H1N1. Many of these students have recovered within a few days and the sickest have recovered within a week, although some remain achy and fatigued for a few days after the cough and fever resolve. We have had two cases of secondary pneumonia, but no other known complications and no hospitalizations.

It is important to remember that per CDC and Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) guidelines we are not testing for H1N1. With the support of the CT DPH we did run several H1N1 tests earlier in the semester on high-probability students. These came back positive, confirming that we do have H1N1 on campus.  We treat all students with influenza-like illness as if they have H1N1.

Treatment for H1N1 comprises isolation, symptomatic care, prescription of anti-viral medications for patients at high risk of complication and further medical evaluation for those warranting it. Per CDC and CT DPH guidelines we are doing as much of this diagnosis over the phone as possible.  This limits spread of infection by keeping sick people away from well people.

We also continue to see students with other illnesses, many of them viral, as well as other conditions for which a period of recuperation (possibly to include time off from classes, sports, etc.) is prudent.

We are working closely with state and local officials in charge of distributing H1N1 vaccine. We do not yet have vaccine on campus. Once it is available to us we will communicate our distribution plan to the campus community. People, especially those at high risk of complications from influenza, that have access to the vaccine from other sources should avail themselves of the opportunity to be vaccinated.  We continue to strongly urge vaccination against seasonal flu.

We have been advised that on Thursday, October 29, 2009 there will be an H1N1 vaccine clinic at the Middletown Town Hall. This clinic is by appointment only and will offer the nasal mist vaccine to individuals aged 2-24 in good health.  Supply is limited. To make an appointment for vaccination call:  (860) 344-3474.

We have no more campus-wide seasonal flu vaccine clinics scheduled. We did vaccinate 908 students and 524 faculty/staff during the clinics we ran. Local pharmacies do have supply of seasonal flu vaccine for those that missed our clinics.

Our call volume has been very high. So that we can sustain the high level and quality of service on which we pride ourselves, we urge students to use consideration with regard to timing of calls.  We are best staffed between 9 and 4 on weekdays. We always have a doctor on call for true emergencies. Students whose main concern is a fever or flu-like symptoms and whose fevers can be controlled with fever-reducing medications such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen are asked to consider waiting until morning to advise us of their status.

Common sense recommendations for preventing transmission of colds, flu and other infectious diseases:

• Get a flu shot when they are available. Consult
  your health care provider or contact Davison Health Center for information on campus vaccine programs.

• Keep immune systems strong with regular exercise, vitamin-rich foods, sufficient
  sleep and plenty of fluids.

• Wash hands frequently and avoid touching your face.

• Avoid sharing eating utensils, water bottles, towels or bedding without
  first washing these items with soap and hot water.

• Clean surfaces soiled with body fluids with a household disinfectant. (Use
  gloves while cleaning.)
• Cover your cough (cough into your sleeve at the elbow).
• Stay away from work or classes when sick with a fever or actively coughing.
• Stay informed about developments regarding the pandemic influenza by visiting
  the websites provided above.