May 19, 2009

Flu case confirmed on campus

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Members of the Campus Community:

Last night, state health officials confirmed that one of our students who was tested last week for the H1N1 virus has been confirmed positive and is infected with that virus. The student is recovering from typical flu symptoms at home in an off-campus apartment.

The student is an engineering major, and we are already moving to locate faculty, staff and students in the college who may have been in contact with him. It is appropriate, though, that I remind all of the members of our campus community how important it is to take the basic precautions that will prevent or slow the spread of the flu on our campus and in our community.

There are very basic precautions that each of us must commit to taking. You've heard them already, but I can't stress them enough.

• Wash your hands frequently.
• Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough.
• Stay home if you feel ill or show any flu symptoms.

That last point—staying home if you have any symptoms—is critical to the health and safety of our students, colleagues, families and community members. It is a responsibility each of us must take seriously.

Since April 25, we have maintained a flu information link on the WMU Home page. The “Flu Info Center” link will take you to a page outlining information about the flu, links to the Centers for Disease Control flu information sites and details of WMU's preparedness plans. I urge you to revisit that page, refamiliarize yourself with the basic information about the flu and remain vigilant for signs of further outbreak.

Sindecuse staff prepared for the possibility of flu on our campus late last month by implementing its emergency preparedness plan.

• Sindecuse Health Center has hand sanitizers and paper masks for patients who come to the center with flu symptoms.
• Health center staff has set up a triage system to separate patients with flu symptoms from those without symptoms.
• Sindecuse staff is prepared to perform rapid tests for influenza and will send appropriate tests to the state laboratory for confirmation.

We are prepared to handle this development, and with your cooperation, I trust we can mitigate the impact on our campus community.

Best regards,

John M. Dunn
President