Pandemic Preparedness: Links and Questions to Consider
Mary Furnari, Washington State University, Pullman, WA (mfurnari@wsu.edu)
Liz West, Washington State University, Spokane, WA (weste@wsu.edu)
Chris Andresen, Willamette University, Salem, OR (candrese@willamette.edu)
Helpful Links
Pandemicflu.gov
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/
This is the Federal site for a wide variety of avian flu and pandemic planning information.
It provides information for both university and personal understanding of potential
pandemic issues as well as planning and preparedness activities.
Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/
This University of Minnesota program website has current situational updates as well as a
wide variety of information, from highly technical to lay studies on the avian flu and issues
around a potential pandemic.
American College Health Association (ACHA)
www.acha.org/info_resources/06_Pandemic_Guidelines.pdf
This is a comprehensive planning guide for colleges, including sample correspondence,
supply lists, things to do by department. Page 9 has a list for international programs/study
abroad.
Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA)
http://www.cshema.org/resource/pandemic0306.htm
CSHEMA provides information sharing opportunities, continuing education, and
professional fellowship to people with environmental health and safety responsibilities in
the education and research communities.
Personal, Family, Workplace, Pets Emergency Planning & Preparedness http://www.ready.gov/
This website has a wide variety of information and preparedness resources.
American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org/services/prepare/0,1082,0_239_,00.html
Additional planning and preparedness resources for self, home, workplace and pets
Other sites of interest:
 http://srhd.org/health/disease/pandemic.asp
 http://www.doh.wa.gov/phepr/factsheets.htm
 http://www.nimsonline.com/nims_training/index.htm
 http://www.metrokc.gov/health/pandemicflu/index.htm
 http://www.utoronto.ca/jcb/home/documents/pandemic.pdf
 http://www.ajg.com/portal/communities/community.asp?UserID=2&CommunityID=440
 http://www.globaled.us/safeti/v3n2_avianflu_rhodes.html
Videos (can view online):
 http://srhd.org/health/disease/pandemic.asp
 http://www.coughsafe.com/media.html
NAFSA resources:
 Health: Avian Influenza and Pandemic Influenza Information:
http://www.nafsa.org/knowledge_community_network.sec/education_abroad_1/education_abr
oad_2/practice_resources_12/health_safety/avian_influenza
 Health: Influenza Pandemic Country Preparedness Plans:
http://www.nafsa.org/knowledge_community_network.sec/education_abroad_1/education_abr
oad_2/practice_resources_12/health_safety/influenza_pandemic_country
 Model Initiatives: Health, Safety, and Crisis Response:
http://www.nafsa.org/knowledge_community_network.sec/education_abroad_1/year_of_study
_abroad_3/practice_resources_15/june_health_and_crisis/model_initiatives_health
 Resources and Recommended Readings:
http://www.nafsa.org/knowledge_community_network.sec/management_and_testing/network_
managers/practice_resources_9/resources_under_review/resources_and_recommended
University sites (samples) for sharing information:
 Willamette University: http://www.willamette.edu/dept/safety/emergency/avianflu/
 Washington State University: http://www.hws.wsu.edu/News-Events/fluprevention.htm
 University of California: http://eap.ucop.edu/911/alerts/
 Center for Global Education: http://www.studentsabroad.com/avianflu.html
 Brown University: http://www.brown.edu/Administration/OIP/faqs/safety_avianflu.htm
 SIT: http://www.sit.edu/studyabroad/safety_avian_flu.html
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: http://ehs.unc.edu/healthy/pandemic_flu.shtml
 University of Maryland: http://www.umd.edu/emergencypreparedness/pandemic_flu/
 University of Minnesota: http://www.ahc.umn.edu/about/admin/oer/pandemic/home.html
 Colorado State University: http://safety.colostate.edu/index.asp?url=flu
 University of Colorado: http://www.colorado.edu/safety/pandemicflu/index.html
General Institutional Questions: Human Resources, Academic, Financial, etc.
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Some estimates for the avian flu predict absenteeism to be at 40% due to illness, caring for family,
or fear. What is our institutional policy for people who can’t or don’t come to work due to illness
or fear? What are the issues regarding essential personnel who refuse to show up for work? What
is our institutional policy, especially for hourly employees, if the university deems them to be
nonessential or they are not being allowed to come to work due to quarantine and/or reducing
human contact to a minimum considerations? [For a good example of one university’s extensive
personnel policy, see University of Maryland, http://www.umd.edu/emergencypreparedness/
pandemic_flu/appendices/appendix_m.cfm]
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What issues or coordinating activities does your County Health Department and your Campus
Health Service need to be addressing?
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How does your University identify, track and report possible flu cases on campus?
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What is the plan to support the remaining students on campus? Does this include off-campus
students? [For a good example of a campus housing plan, see University of Minnesota,
http://www.ahc.umn.edu/about/admin/oer/pandemic/home.html]
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Will students have to have medical clearance to return to campus? If so, who monitors this? What
policy covers those students and employees who refuse to return to campus until they feel it is safe
to return?
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What is the mechanism for informing employees of their status (essential or non-essential, come
or don’t come, where to report if covering other duties, etc.)?
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Are systems in place for systems like payroll? Can these be automated or will they continue to
require human intervention? Can this be done off campus?
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At what point do you cancel or continue instruction? Some policies provides various strategies for
continuing instruction when attendance falls below 50%, but there are some kinds of classes for
which none of these options would be adequate, and hence either cancellation or some kind of prorated credit might be the only reasonable options. Where are these challenges at your school?
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What is the connection (and how flexible can we be) of a tuition refund or rebate policy in
connection with the percentage of a course completed before a pandemic cancellation? Is it
realistic to expect that people would not wait calmly for a Phase 4 alert and that students and
faculty might make individual and disparate choices about when to stop coming to class? [One
possible academic plan (including when to cancel class and the refund policy at each level of risk)
is viewable at the University of Maryland, http://www.umd.edu/emergencypreparedness/
pandemic_flu/acadprog.cfm]
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Should a university’s policy address the reinstitution of school? How will the resumption of
classes be announced and implemented? How will restaffing be managed in consideration of
those who were on campus and or involved most directly in the actual pandemic activities during
an outbreak (first wave staffing, second wave staffing, and resumption of normal activity
staffing)?
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Who at your campus monitors travel by students, staff and faculty? Would your University’s
existing travel policies for faculty, staff, and students need to be changed in any way? How would
this affect international students coming from H5N1-affected areas and for University faculty,
staff, students and visitors who will be returning from affected areas abroad? Would these travel
policies need to be coordinated with your county health department and the CDC? Should those
returning from the affected areas be quarantined? Who makes that decision and how is it
enforced?
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What needs to be communicated to the students (and parents) who have decided to self-shield
(self-generated action or actions to prevent contact or interaction with others) by leaving the
campus? How does the University identify them and contact them? What needs to be
communicated to the campus community and the general public? Should the universities agree to
the publication of their pandemic emergency plans? What information about self-protection from
the avian flu needs to be communicated to students, staff and faculty?

Questions to Think About with Pandemic Influenza
Adapted from Sans Frontiers: Preparing for the Next Influenza Pandemic
2006 Annual NAFSA conference session, Montréal, Canada: Nancy Stubbs, University of Colorado
International Students/Scholars
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How will you keep communication open?
Can people talk across borders? Calling cards? Access to internet?
How is family communication to occur?
Do students/scholars understand quarantine, isolation, and other restrictions? Will their parents
understand?
What are dietary and religious needs if residence halls are quarantined?
Who is living where? How can you reach them?
If campus is closed or borders are closed: who covers cost of care for them? Will they be able to
get funds from home? What if banks don’t work?
What if pandemic breaks out in a student’s home country? Student can’t get money from home?
Student can’t return home? Will there be special restrictions on students returning from that
country?
Visa issues: What if university closes—how will students get approval for RCL, program
extensions, work authorizations (OPT, CPT, Academic Training, etc.)?
What if “foreigners” are blamed? What will official response be? All countries must care for
people based on triage.
What if health officials or university employees won’t work with international students/scholars
because of fear?
Education Abroad
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What if program site is quarantined? Student can’t get out? Can’t get money in?
When should you cancel programs? Triggers to decide…
Have someone designated to talk to the media?
Decide in advance how to handle media?
How will you handle communication with parents?
What about moving students to another location?
If students return from affected country, will campus welcome them back?
If program is cancelled: How will academic credit be handled? What is the refund policy? Who
pays? Reserve account for Education Abroad to handle potential costs?
Other International Activities
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Who is traveling abroad?
What are institution’s obligations to faculty, graduate students, undergrads, or staff traveling
abroad?
How will you quarantine if student, faculty or staff has been to affected area?
Geographic health alerts—triggers to decide on travel?
How to handle group returning from area where outbreak has just occurred?
Who’s responsible?
10/12/2006