Message on Swine Flu From SU Health Services director

Message on Swine Flu From SU Health Services director April 27, 2009SU News ServicesSUnews@syr.edu

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

I am writing to let you know that Syracuse University is closely monitoring the developments that have occurred globally in the past several days regarding the swine flu.

No one from the University community has reported any related symptoms. And according to the Onondaga County Health Department, there have been no cases reported in Syracuse or Central New York.

As a precaution, University Health Services is collaborating with the Onondaga County Health Department to monitor any respiratory and flu-like symptoms that may be present in patients being evaluated at our health clinic.

I would encourage everyone to monitor his or her own personal health and seek medical evaluation should you have a fever. Any student with a significant fever is encouraged to contact Health Services at (315) 443-9001 for an evaluation. Faculty and staff are encouraged to contact their personal health care providers as needed.

Generally, the incubation period of the swine flu is 3-4 days. If a person contracts the illness, symptoms would likely occur within that time frame. In addition, traditional illness prevention methods-such as frequently washing your hands or using hand sanitizer lotions, along with covering coughs and sneezes with your arm or sleeve-remain important to reduce any potential spread of all such respiratory illnesses.

For a number of years, the University has been preparing for the potential of a global pandemic flu outbreak. In 2006, a University-wide task force was created and developed a University pandemic prevention and response plan. The task force meets regularly to assess the plan and works closely with local, state and federal officials. David Pajak, the University’s director of risk management, and I are co-chairs of the task force; we are interfacing with subsets of the task force during these current events.

More information about swine flu is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/?s_cid=swineFlu_outbreak_internal_001.

Anyone who is planning international travel should check with the U.S. Department of State for the most up-to-date travel advisories at http://www.state.gov/.

As the situation evolves, we will update the University community as appropriate.

Sincerely,

James R. Jacobs, M.D., Ph.D., FACEPDirector of University Health Services