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The California Community Colleges are places where
millions of people go to learn, work, and interact.
We are proud of the central role that we play in our
communities, but with this comes the added responsibility
of keeping everyone out of harm's way.
Emergency preparedness is a high priority
for each of our colleges.
By complying with state and federal emergency preparedness
guidelines, our colleges are committed to your safety.
Many colleges are planning for the possibility of a pandemic
hitting close to home.
We hope this doesn't happen, but should one occur,
and be severe enough to close a college,
districts will continue to receive full funding.
The following video will provide you with information
about pandemic influenza and the actions you can take to
prevent and slow its spread.
Please watch closely so that you will be better able to
keep you and your families safe.
The difference between an influenza and a cold is that
the flu has a rapid and severe onset of symptoms.
You may experience severe body aches,
high fever, sore throat, chills, runny nose,
and a cough.
If you have these symptoms, STAY AT HOME and first call
your primary care provider, Campus Health Services,
or the number directed by your public health department.
If you have symptoms consistent with the influenza,
call immediately because antiviral medications
may be prescribed for you.
Antivirals work best if started within 2 days
after getting sick.
The incubation period is the period of time when someone is
infectious, but shows no symptoms.
It varies from 1 to 7 days.
The most infectious period is 24 hours before the onset
of symptoms.
Viruses are spread primarily by coughing,
sneezing, direct hand-to-mouth contact,
and through indirect exposure from touching
contaminated surfaces.
If you are ill, self-isolate (stay away from others) for at
least 24 hours after a fever is gone without the use of
fever-reducing medications.
Seek medical advice by phone first and you will be triaged
to the appropriate health-care facility.
In communities with high H1N1 cases,
consider staying away from public gatherings.
Hello, I'm Dr. Marty Fenstersheib,
Health Officer for Santa Clara County.
As you may know, we are in a flu pandemic caused by the
H1N1 flu virus.
A flu pandemic is a worldwide outbreak of a new flu virus.
Typically, pandemic flu viruses spread easily,
and since they are new, people have little
or no immunity against them.
Pandemic flu is different from seasonal flu.
Seasonal flu outbreaks are caused by more
commonly seen flu viruses.
Seasonal flu occurs every year,
usually during the winter months.
On the other hand, pandemic flu viruses will almost always
cause more widespread illness; sometimes as much as 30
percent of the population will become ill.
We have already seen unique differences in the pandemic
H1N1 virus compared to seasonal flu.
The pandemic virus has circulated widely
over the summer months.
This is rare for a flu virus.
There have been very few illnesses reported in people
over the age of 64.
And the largest numbers of cases are in people between 5
and 24 years of age.
So, we're currently in a pandemic,
with a new flu virus causing illness in our community as
well as the rest of the world.
At the moment, this flu virus is about as severe
as seasonal flu.
But flu viruses constantly change,
making it difficult to predict.
So far, most of the people who have gotten sick with pandemic
H1N1 have recovered without any special medical attention,
and most of them have been taken care of at home.
But like any flu, there are groups of people at higher
risk for serious disease or death.
People most at-risk are young adults with health problems
including respiratory disease, asthma,
heart disease, and people with weakened immune systems.
Pregnant women are also at higher risk
for more serious illness.
There should be sufficient vaccine for the population.
The initial supplies will be limited,
however, and must be prioritized to those at
highest risk for illness, including children and young
adults ages 6 months to 24 years.
The vaccine will be available through private medical
providers as well as some public clinics.
Since the initial supply will be limited,
we will look at the following groups to be among the first
to get the vaccine.
People who are at the highest risk for serious complications
from pandemic H1N1 flu the younger population,
especially students and health care workers,
emergency service personnel, and others who are important
in maintaining our infrastructure to keep the
water flowing and the lights working.
We know that pandemics occur randomly throughout history
and they can vary in severity.
In the 20th century we had 3 pandemics-
the 1918 Spanish flu,
the 1957 Asian flu,
and the 1968 Hong Kong flu.
The 1918 Spanish Pandemic was the deadliest infectious
disease event ever recorded.
In four weeks, the Spanish flu raced across
the United States.
Twenty to 40 million people died worldwide;
approximately 675,000 of those deaths were in
the United States.
In 1957 between 1 and 4 million people died worldwide
from the Asian flu, 70,000 in the United States.
In 1968 another 1 to 4 million people died from the Hong Kong
flu, 34,000 in this country.
While we cannot predict how severe the next pandemic will
be, the CDC states that colleges need to plan for a
severe pandemic, even though it may be mild.
Planning saves lives.
The CDC urges you to take the following 3 steps
to protect yourself.
Vaccinate against both the seasonal and pandemic flu.
Stop the spread of germs by frequent and thorough hand
washing; avoid touching your eyes,
nose, or mouth; limit contact with individuals;
and stay home if you are sick.
Call your health care provider immediately if you have
symptoms consistent with the influenza.
Health professionals like me remain concerned that,
as this new pandemic H1N1 flu virus continues to pass
through populations, it could mutate or change-
and cause more severe illness.
We will continue to monitor the situation here as others
will do across the nation.
Even if the virus remains the same,
there will most likely be large numbers of sick people.
We could face high absenteeism,
spot shortages of supplies, and an overwhelming demand on
community resources.
If a lot of people are out sick,
a school may simply not have enough resources or personnel
to continue classes for a period of time.
School dismissals are disruptive but may be necessary.
Because of these possibilities,
each individual, family, and organization should plan
and prepare.
You probably remember that when the H1N1 outbreak first
happened, stores ran out of antibacterial gels,
latex gloves, and face masks.
If you stock up now, you will have the supplies
you may need later.
Think about having cold and fever medicines on hand in
case you get sick.
Refer to your county's health department's Website first.
The Santa Clara County Health Department has a home-care
guide posted on its Website with recommended supplies
and instructions.
It is also important to practice good health habits to
help limit the spread of germs including
the pandemic H1N1 virus.
These include: Covering your coughs and sneezes,
and wash your hands frequently.
Limit contact with ill individuals.
If you get sick, stay home.
And get vaccinated for both the seasonal flu
and the pandemic H1N1.
It's always a good idea to plan ahead and stay informed.
Information about prevention and control actions will be
shared in a number of ways, including through local health
department and CDC Websites.
These sites also have planning guidelines for individuals
and schools available.
I hope you will do what you can to respond to this
possible public health emergency.
You can help protect yourself, your family and friends,
and your school community by planning and preparing for
this potential health threat.
Thank you.
Preparation for a pandemic makes sense.
Visit your local public health department,
World Health Organization,
and CDC Websites frequently for accurate information.
Your college Websites, on-line college newsletters,
newspapers, your Websites for international students will
also have more specific information.
Every effort will be made to continue classes in the event
of a pandemic alert.
The California Community Colleges are planning ahead
for a safe and successful academic year.
Thank you for taking the time to watch this video.
Keep in mind, being prepared, be it for a final exam or a
pandemic, is a personal responsibility.
I would like to thank Foothill-De Anza Community
College District and ToucanEd for producing this video.