Pandemic Flu: Preparing Our
Families
Elon University
Office of Student Development, Heath Services and
The Office of Business Finance and Technology
Adapted from The US Department of Health and Human Services
Web-Site
www.pandemic flu.gov
Preparing Your Family for A Pandemic
• Our families are
important to us!
• Planning for all types of
emergencies (including
a flu pandemic) will
help us better navigate
and lessen the effects of
an emergency.
Tips for pandemic flu planning
These tips can be useful in other types of emergencies, such as
power outages and disasters.
– Store a two week supply of water and food. During a pandemic,
if you cannot get to a store, or if stores are out of supplies, it will
be important for you to have extra on hand.
– Periodically check your regular prescription drugs to ensure a
continuous supply in your home.
– Have any nonprescription drugs and other health supplies on
hand, including pain relievers, stomach remedies, cough and
cold medicines, fluids with electrolytes, and vitamins.
– Develop a care plan for members of your family. Talk with family
members and loved ones about how they would be cared for if
they got sick, or what will be needed to care for them in your
home.
The Best Defense for Any Illness is to
Lead a Healthy, Balanced Lifestyle
• Eat a balanced diet. Be sure to eat a variety of
foods, including plenty of vegetables, fruits, and
whole grain products. Also include low-fat dairy
products, lean meats, poultry, fish, and beans.
Drink lots of water and go easy on salt, sugar,
alcohol, and saturated fat.
• Maintain A Healthy Weight
• Exercise on a regular basis and get plenty of rest.
• Follow your doctor’s orders if you have a preexisting or chronic condition
Prevention is the Best Medicine
•
•
•
•
Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands often with soap and water,
especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also
effective.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don’t
have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder; not into your hands.
Stay home or at your place of residence if you are sick for at least 24 hours after
you no longer have a fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius) or signs
of a fever (have chills, feel very warm, have a flushed appearance, or are
sweating). This should be determined without the use of fever-reducing
medications (any medicine that contains ibuprofen or acetaminophen). Staying
away from others while sick can prevent others from getting sick too. Ask a
roommate, friend, or family member to check up on you and to bring you food and
supplies if needed. Consult with University Health Services if you are sick and
must stay home from class.
Talk to your health care provider to find out if you should be vaccinated for
seasonal flu and/or 2009 H1N1 flu. Information about 2009 H1N1 flu vaccination
can be found at: www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination. Information about seasonal
flu vaccine can be found at: www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm. Check E-Net
for vaccine administration dates on campus.
Symptoms of H1N1
The symptoms of novel H1N1 flu virus in people
include fever (100 or above), cough, sore
throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches,
headache, chills and fatigue. A significant
number of people who have been infected
with this virus also have reported diarrhea and
vomiting. Severe illnesses and death has
occurred as a result of illness associated with
this virus.
Why is Planning
important?
Service Disruption May Be
Widespread Due to Staffing Shortages
• Plan for the possibility that usual services may be
disrupted. These could include services provided
by hospitals and other health care facilities,
banks, stores, restaurants, government offices,
and post offices.
• Municipal services (Power and water) may also
be affected due to staffing shortages
• Consider how to care for people with special
needs in case the services they rely on are not
available.
Being Able to Work May Be Difficult or
Impossible
• You may be home sick with a loved one or
yourself
• Develop a plan for your office that provides for
operation of essential services in the event many
of you are out at one time.
• You will receive more information about out
leave polices in the coming weeks if we have an
outbreak on campus
Schools May Be Closed for an
Extended Period of Time
• Consider childcare needs.
• Plan home learning activities and exercises.
Have materials, such as books, on hand. Also
plan recreational activities that your children
can do at home.
Transportation Services May Be
Disrupted
• Think about how you can rely less on public
transportation during a pandemic. For
example, store food and other essential
supplies so you can make fewer trips to the
store.
• Prepare backup plans for taking care of loved
ones who are far away.
• Consider other ways to get to work.
People Will Need Advice and Help at
Work and Home
• Have at least a general knowledge of your institutions
emergency preparation plan
• Think about what information the people in your
workplace will need if you are a manager.
• Meet with your colleagues and make lists of things that
you will need to know and what actions can be taken.
• Identify other information resources in your
community, such as mental health hotlines, public
health hotlines, or electronic bulletin boards for
support and information.
• Find support systems—people who are thinking about
the same issues you are thinking about. Share ideas.
Develop A Family Emergency Health
Information Sheet Including
Family Member
• Blood Type
• Allergies
• Past/ Current Medical Conditions
• Current Medications/ Dosages
For example go to:
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/indi
vidual/familyhealthinfo.html
Emergency Health Information Sheet
Family Member Blood Type
Allergies
Past/ Current
Medical
Conditions
Current
Medications/
Dosages
Jana Fields
O pos.
none
none
none
Patterson
John Michael
Patterson
B neg
peanuts
none
Aspirin 81
mg/daily
Gregory John
Patterson
B neg
Bee stings
none
none
Develop An Emergency Contact Plan
Contacts
Name/Phone Number
Local personal emergency contact
Ronald A. Klepcyk (336) XXX- XXXX
Out-of-town personal emergency contact
Ashley and Chuck Wile (803) XXX-XXXX
Hospitals near:
Alamance Regional Medical Center
Work
School
Alamance Regional Medical Center
Home
Alamance Regional Medical Center
Family physician(s)
Burlington Family Practice (336) XXX-XXXX
State public health department
(See list on
www.pandemicflu.gov/state/statecontacts.ht
ml)
Pharmacy
CVS (336) XXX-XXXX
Be Prepared
Stock a supply of water and food. During a pandemic you
may not be able to get to a store due to illness. Even if
you can get to a store, it may be out of supplies. Public
waterworks services may also be interrupted. Stocking
supplies can be useful in other types of emergencies,
such as power outages and disasters. Store foods that:
• are nonperishable (will keep for a long time) and don't
require refrigeration
• are easy to prepare in case you are unable to cook
• require little or no water, so you can conserve water for
drinking (plan for 1 gallon per person per day)
Emergency Supplies
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cleansing agent/soap
Bleach
Flashlight
Batteries
Portable radio
Manual can opener
Garbage bags
Tissues, toilet paper
Nonperishable Food Supplies
• Bottled water
• Electrolyte Drinks (Gatorade, PowerAde)
• Ready-to-eat canned meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, and
soups
– Include broth based soups in case someone becomes ill
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Protein or fruit bars
Dry cereal or granola
Peanut butter or nuts
Dried fruit
Crackers
Canned or boxed juices
Canned or jarred baby food and formula
Other non-perishable items
Medical Supplies and Medication
• Supply of prescription medications
• Medicines for fever, such as acetaminophen or
ibuprofen
• Thermometer
• Anti-diarrheal medication
• Vitamins
• Fluids with electrolytes (Gatorade, PowerAde ,
Pedialyte)
• Surgical gloves
• Surgical Masks
If you have Babies and Children, Don’t
Forget
• Formula and additional
water to prepare formula
• Disposable bottles
• Diapers
• Wipes
• Children’s Fever Reducers
• Children’s Anti-Diarrheal
• Children’s Electrolyte
fluids (Pedialyte)
Don’t Forget Pets
• Pet Foods
• Kitty Litter
Phasing In Your Supplies
• Purchase basic emergency supplies as soon as
you can- If you already have them on hand,
put in a centralized place and make sure your
family knows how to access them.
• For food and other non-perishables, add a few
extra items to your weekly shopping until you
have the supplies in place.
• Use your supplies in your regular rotation and
replenish them in your weekly shopping.
When the Flu Hits
What to Do if You are Ill
•
If not an emergency, stay home and self-isolate if you are ill and follow the CDC’s recommendations .
•
Faculty and staff members who are ill should consult with their dean, department chair or supervisor as soon as
possible. We anticipate faculty and staff may also need to stay home to attend to a loved one in their household
who is ill.
•
We suggest that teaching faculty evaluate their syllabi for flexibility in the event of personal illness or illness in
their household which requires their care-giving. The Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL)
is developing resources for faculty and teaching staff which may address some of your questions regarding
courses. You will receive an e-mail in the next few days about accessing these resources.
•
We may also experience multiple absences in administrative and service departments due to illness.
Administrative and support area supervisors should develop plans for on- going operations in the event there are
multiple absences in their offices or departments. Can you share phone and reception duties?
•
Faculty and staff may also utilize the phone triage strategies to assist them in determining whether they should
self-isolate. Of course, faculty and staff can always come to Health Services according to personnel procedures
($10.00 co-pay) during operational hours for evaluation and treatment. There is also a physician’s assistant
available for faculty and staff free on Thursday mornings in the Employee Wellness Building by Arts West.
•
Plans are being made for daily phone contact with ill students, faculty, and staff members who have been triaged
at Heath Services throughout the duration of their isolation period to check on medical well-being.
Who is most at risk?
• Illness with the new H1N1 virus has ranged from mild to
severe. While most people who have been sick have
recovered without needing medical treatment,
hospitalizations and deaths from infection with this virus
have occurred.
• About 70 percent of people who have been hospitalized
with this novel H1N1 virus have had one or more medical
conditions previously recognized as placing people at “high
risk” of serious seasonal flu-related complications. This
includes pregnancy, diabetes, heart disease, asthma and
kidney disease.
• Anyone with a condition that puts them at high risk
should consult their medical provider at the first sign of
illness!
Interesting Information for older
citizens…
One thing that appears to be different from
seasonal influenza is that adults older than 64
years do not yet appear to be at increased risk of
novel H1N1-related complications thus far. CDC
laboratory studies have shown that no children
and very few adults younger than 60 years old
have existing antibody to novel H1N1 flu virus;
however, about one-third of adults older than 60
may have antibodies against this virus. It is
unknown how much, if any, protection may be
afforded against novel H1N1 flu by any existing
antibody.
How long are people contagious?
People infected with seasonal and novel H1N1 flu
shed virus and may be able to infect others from
1 day before getting sick to 5 to 7 days after. This
can be longer in some people, especially children
and people with weakened immune systems and
in people infected with the new H1N1 virus.
Do not resume normal activities until you have
been fever-free (less than 100 degrees) for 24
hours without fever reducers
Emergency Warning Signs
In children, emergency warning signs that need urgent
medical attention include:
• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish or gray skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be
held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever
and worse cough
Emergency Warning Signs
In adults, emergency warning signs that need
urgent medical attention include:
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with
fever and worse cough
Vaccines
• We expect to have regular seasonal flu vaccine
available in late October. Watch e-mail ad E-Net.
Supplies are limited.
• The University does plan to administer vaccines
to students, faculty and staff when it becomes
available. We will follow protocols established by
state health authorities. More information will
follow. Check e-mail and watch E-Net.
Stay Informed But Calm
•
Knowing the facts is the best preparation. Identify sources you can count on for reliable information. If a pandemic occurs, having
accurate and reliable information will be critical. E-Net is the best resource for accurate information about Elon’s Emergency
Response Plans.
•
Reliable, accurate, and timely information is available at www.pandemicflu.gov.
•
Another source for information on pandemic influenza is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Hotline at: 1-800-CDCINFO (1-800-232-4636). This line is available in English and Spanish, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TTY: 1-888-232-6348. Questions can
be e-mailed to cdcinfo@cdc.gov.
•
Look for information on your local and state government Web sites. Links are available to each state department of public health at
www.cdc.gov/other.htm#states.
•
Listen to local and national radio, watch news reports on television, and read your newspaper and other sources of printed and Webbased information.
•
Consult your health care providers, especially if you have a chronic medical condition which places you in a high risk category.
•
As you begin your individual or family planning, you may want to review your state's planning efforts and those of your local public
health and emergency preparedness officials. Many of the state plans and other planning information can be found at
pandemicflu.gov/plan/state/index.html.
Where Can I Get More Information?
• These and other resources are available on the
Health Services Web-site at
http://www.elon.edu/eweb/students/health_services/
• Check e-mail and E-Net
• This PowerPoint presentation will also be
available on the web-site as well for further
review.
Questions