SUBJECT:

H1N1 Preparedness Strategy

As you may already know, the University has been working closely with the San Diego County Department of Health and Human Services to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about prudent steps to take regarding flu preparedness. For specific information on these efforts, please see: http://www.ucsd.edu/flu/

Please encourage your students to avoid coming to class if they are experiencing flu-like symptoms (a fever of 100°F or higher, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body ache, headache, chills, unusual fatigue, diarrhea or vomiting). The virus appears to take four to five days to run its course, and it is important for the health and safety of our students that those with the illness avoid coming to class until they have been without fever for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medicines). Faculty members with flu-like symptoms should take similar precautions.

In general, people are being advised to treat their symptoms at home and to not seek medical care unless their symptoms are severe or they have a condition which puts them at increased risk for developing complications from infection with flu. Therefore, please do not require doctor's notes or medical excuses for flu-related class absences, as students are being discouraged from overwhelming the Student Health Service and other community healthcare resources.

We will continue to keep you informed of any additional changes to UC San Diego's flu preparedness strategy.

Paul W. Drake Senior Vice Chancellor William S. Hodgkiss Chair Academic Senate, San Diego Division