St. Cloud State University
Pandemic Plan Update
August 28, 2006
A MEMBER OF THE MINNESOTA STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES SYSTEM
St. Cloud State University
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, Office
of the Chancellor - Pandemic Planning Timeline:
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February 27, 2006 – Charged
March 16, 2006 – First Committee Meeting
June 16, 2006 – Draft I Due
July 13, 2006 – Draft I Plan Presented at Regional
Meeting
September 15, 2006 – Draft II Due
St. Cloud State University
Coordinating Committee
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Coordinating Committee Co-Chairs
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Michael Spitzer
Steve Ludwig
Subcommittee Co-Chairs
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Academic Administration: Mitchell Rubinstein, Michael
Spitzer
Communications: Loren Boone, Jill Rudnitski
Facilities: Miles Heckendorn III, James Williams
Health Care: Corita Beckermann, Wanda Overland
Operations: Larry Chambers, Larry Christenson
What is Influenza (“Flu”)?
 Respiratory infection
 Spread through coughing and sneezing
 Symptoms include rapid onset of fever,
chills, body aches, sore throat, nonproductive cough, runny nose, headache
 Most people have some immunity
 Flu vaccine available
 Cover cough, wash hands
Annual Impact of Influenza in
the U.S.
• 114,000 excess
hospitalizations/yr
• 43% 65+ yrs
• 20,000 deaths/yr
• >90% 65+ yrs
What is Avian Influenza
(“Bird Flu”)?
 An influenza virus (H5N1) found in form of
avian flu strain
 Believed to be spread by co-mingling wild
and domestic birds
 Symptoms range from typical influenza-like
symptoms to pneumonia and other lifethreatening complications
 No immunity
 No vaccine
Avian Flu Transmission
 Predominantly via contact with feces from
infected birds
 Handling infected poultry
 Disposing of dead infected poultry
 No sustained human to human transmission
to date
Avian Influenza - H5N1
Why do we care?
 238 documented cases, 139 deaths as of
August 14, 2006 (58%)
 Mutating little by little
 Has potential to mutate into a human strain
What is Pandemic Influenza?
 A new influenza virus emerges not
previously known to infect humans
 Easily transmissible from person to person
 Highly infectious – spreads worldwide
quickly
 Virus causes serious illness
 Population has little to no immunity
 The virus will infect all age groups
 No adequate supply of vaccine available
 Supply of anti-viral limited
Recent Pandemics
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1918/1919 Spanish Influenza
 40/50 million deaths worldwide
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1957 Asian Flu
 2 million deaths worldwide
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1968 Hong Kong Flu
 1 million deaths worldwide
Projected Impact of Pandemic
Influenza in Minnesota
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1,544,000 ill
772,000 outpatient medical care
15,000 - 172,000 hospitalized
2,250 - 25,700 ICU care
1,120 - 12,900 mechanical ventilation
3,600 - 32,900 influenza deaths
Outbreak period - 6-8 weeks
World Health Organization
Influenza Pandemic Phases
Interpandemic Period
Novel subtypes in animals but not humans
Phase 1
Circulating subtypes in animals posing threat to
humans
Phase 2
Pandemic Alert Period
Novel subtypes in humans, but no
human-to-human transmission
Phase 3
Limited human-to-human transmission
Phase 4
Localized clusters of human cases
Phase 5
Pandemic Period
Increased and sustained transmission in the
general population on a large scale
Phase 6
Could the H5N1 virus cause the
next pandemic?
 Possibly…
So far the virus cannot pass easily
from human to human.
 But…
Eventually, there will be another
pandemic, we just can’t be sure it will
be caused by this H5N1 virus
Academic Administration Pre-Plan
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Meet and Confer
Designate web location for every course to
extent possible
Assess capacity of LR&TS to provide training
Provide training or refreshers for faculty use of
D2L and other technologies
Encourage faculty to plan for a pandemic or
other emergency (including person/family
preparedness)
Develop college/department contingency plans
Review academic policies with Academic
Policy Committee
Responses If University Remains Open
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Perform work from home as possible
Expand use of web sites and D2L
Monitor daily attendance
Continuously update grades
Maintain grades in accessible place
Suspend student appeals and postpone
deadlines
Suspend/postpone faculty evaluations and
reviews
Suspend other academic policies and extend
deadlines
Other Issues and Actions
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Students studying abroad
International Students on campus
Campus designated as treatment or quarantine
site
Contingencies for Closure
A. After the Twelfth Week of a Semester
• Semester to have concluded
• Students will receive grades
B. After the Tenth Week but before the End of the
Twelfth Week of a Semester
• Semester to have concluded
• Students will receive either an S or U
C. After the Eighth Week but before the End of Tenth
Week of a Semester
• Suspend the semester
• Reschedule semester for later date
D. Before the End of the Eighth Week of a Semester
• Cancel the semester
• No recognition of student academic
performance
Other Issues and Actions
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Faculty discretion to permit completion of
courses
Host organizations provide for students
registered in off-campus internships, clinical
experiences, etc.
Official withdrawal for students not returning
Suspend:
 Student appeals and extend deadlines
 Other academic policies and extend deadlines
 Faculty evaluations and reviews
Continue work of essential employees
Post-Plan
Issues that will require additional
attention include:
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Conduct backlog of students’ grade appeals
Undertake new grade appeals
Compute and process grades
Reschedule uncompleted portion of a semester
Reschedule subsequent semester(s)
Reschedule faculty evaluation and reviews
Communications Pre-Plan
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“Cover Your Cough” posters are displayed in
every restroom on campus accomplished in
early May, 2006
Develop programs for Convocation Week 2006
Frequently Asked Questions posted on web site
Planning information in campus publications
Department phone tree
List serve access
Announcements on Promo-TV
Communications Responses
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Ascertain facts
Proactive communication plan
Web site information
Update fact sheet and news release
Manage news media on site
Ascertain facts
Use range of communication vehicles
Web site information
Initiate calling tree
Update fact sheet and news release
Distribution to news media
Special communications, i.e. inoculation
Manage news media
Notify student workforce
Facilities Pre-Plan
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Obtain germicidal and disinfectant supplies
Maintain operations and contract services
Confirm succession plans for key positions
Facilities Responses
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Continue operations of Buildings & Grounds and Public
Safety
Designate on-campus reception and storage facilities for
supplies
Clean up and mitigate contamination
Adjust HVAC systems to isolate or dilute any contaminant
Consider reduction of staff to essential
Support on-campus students
Consider closing individual facilities or segments of
campus
Provide protective equipment and supplies
to personnel
Healthcare Pre-Plan
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Train identified groups
Work with local clinics for crisis coverage
Personal and family preparedness training
Determine scope of practice for health and
counseling services
Monitor and update campus about status of
avian flu spread
Healthcare Responses
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Follow public health protocols
Maintain staffing
Provide referrals to “worried well”
Extend hours of operation
Department of Residential Life: assist residents
Provide protective equipment and supplies to
personnel
Adjust service delivery to reduce face to face
contacts
Operations Responses
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Focus on meeting needs of students
Cancel all student led tours and campus visits
Consolidate student union services
Prioritize business services
No routine purchasing; only “emergency” items
Change purchasing card limits
Assign Information Systems employees to
critical technology support
Staff may work off-site
Combine essential services
Possibly combine workforce with other
state universities/colleges
Operations Responses (cont.)
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Cancel public activities on campus
Ensure continuity of paychecks and health
insurance
Monitor resident student health
Provide essential services for campus residents
Close non-essential buildings
Continue off-site access to ISRS and online
systems
Residential Life evaluate housing options
Dining Services prepare/deliver meals
Cancel public events
Questions