Aug. 14: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that people with influenza-like illness remain at home for 24 hours after a fever subsides. This is a change from previous recommendations to stay home for 7 days. See more info.

July 30: UC San Diego’s Pandemic/ Epidemic Response Committee is closely monitoring the 2009 H1N1 flu situation, which is now classified as a Phase 6 pandemic alert by the World Health Organization (WHO).

See the following sites for other updates:

• County of San Diego
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• World Health Organization

UC San Diego updates

• Video Q&A: Dr. Randy Taplitz, clinical director of infectious diseases at the UCSD Medical Center, talks about what swine flu is; why it's been a cause of concern for public health officials; and how to protect yourself from this new virus. Watch the video at UCSD's News Center.



• Safety notices:
  • H1N1 flu safety notice from Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) (English) (Spanish)
  • Prevent Illness - Wash Your Hands poster



• Travel advisories: Employees and students with upcoming university-related travel who book their travel using Connexxus will receive health advisory updates from iJet/Worldcue. If you are planning university-related travel that is not booked through Connexxus, you must register for business travel accident insurance to receive travel insurance and iJet/Worldcue health advisory updates.
  
  EH&S recommends UC San Diego travelers on university-related business also check CDC Travelers' Health for current travel advisories and vaccination recommendations.



• Child care precautions: Information for parents of children at UCSD's ECEC and MCDC centers



• UC response: Message from UC President Mark Yudof

Background

Influenza A (H1N1) is a respiratory disease caused by type A influenza viruses that result in regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get this disease, but human infections can and do happen, as they are now.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classify intensifying outbreaks according to these definitions:

• Epidemic: an occurrence of a disease or disorder in a population at a frequency higher than that expected in a given time period
• Pandemic: an epidemic that is geographically widespread; occurring throughout a region or even throughout the world

UC San Diego's preparedness

UCSD joins state and local efforts to minimize the impact of any public health emergency and limit the spread of disease. University officials are closely monitoring the 2009 H1N1 flu situation and update UCSD's primary Web sites around the clock:

• TritonLink for students
• Student Health Service
• Parents & Families
• Blink for faculty and staff
• UC San Diego home page

Additional resources

Please refer to these references for additional information about influenza:

• American Academy of Pediatrics H1N1 Flu Information
• Protecting Yourself from Pandemic Influenza
• Pandemic Influenza: FAQ
• UCSD Pandemic / Epidemic Response Initiative
• Guidance for Student Dismissals During an Influenza Pandemic (PDF), California Department of Public Health
• PandemicFlu.gov

Questions about pandemic/ epidemic preparedness at UCSD? Contact Continuity & Emergency Services, (858) 534-3823.