Experiencing UIC

Emergency and Disability Resources

Find

Information on Influenza

City Offers H1N1 Shots 11/7, 14 and 21 at Malcolm X College

The Chicago Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) drive to protect Chicagoans from H1N1 flu continues to succeed, with health workers vaccinating over 42,000 men, women and children in just six days at six sites across the city.

“We are preventing disease and saving lives. This is public health work at its best,” stated Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Terry Mason, M.D. “This mass vaccination drive is going as well we planned it to be, and I want to thank everyone making it happen — from our top-level leadership to our front-line workers, and everyone in between. I also thank Mayor Daley for his ongoing support, as well as other City agencies and sister agencies, including the City Colleges of Chicago.”

To date, CDPH has offered vaccinations at six sites for those Chicagoans at increased risk for flu and flu complications:

The six locations are:

The locations are open to serve Chicago residents at increased risk on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, through November 19. Hours of operation are 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Saturdays.

Expanding Access: 7th Flu Shot Site Opens

To expand access for all Chicagoans, CDPH will offer H1N1 flu vaccinations on Saturdays, November 7, 14 and 21 — from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. — at Malcolm X College, 1900 W. Van Buren.

“We take this flu pandemic seriously, and we are committed to making H1N1 flu vaccinations as accessible as possible to all Chicago residents,” explained Suzet McKinney, Dr.PH, CDPH Deputy Commissioner for Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Response. “Right on the Eisenhower Expressway, Malcolm X College is easily accessible to the entire West Side, as well as other parts of the city.”

No appointments are necessary, and all vaccinations will be delivered free of charge, on a first come/first served basis. People who are allergic to eggs should not receive the vaccination.

In addition to doctors’ offices and public health vaccination sites, H1N1 vaccine is expected to be available at retail pharmacies in the weeks ahead — giving Chicagoans ample opportunities to get vaccinated. To date since early October, some 327,600 doses of H1N1 vaccine have arrived in the city at over 500 providers — including hospitals, clinics, pediatricians, obstetricians, family practitioners, and more. About 80,000 additional doses arrive each week.

College students in the city are advised to check in with their campus health service to see when H1N1 vaccinations will be offered.

“Vaccination is a smart, safe and effective public health intervention,” added Joshua D. Jones, M.D., CDPH Medical Director of Electronic Disease Surveillance. “Every week, thousands of doses of H1N1 vaccine are arriving in the city. Assuming that vaccine production continues as anticipated, it is fair to say that every Chicagoan who wants an H1N1 vaccination will be able to get one in the weeks and months to come.”

In addition to getting a flu vaccination, CDPH officials advise all Chicagoans to:

For local information on flu prevention, go online to www.cityofchicago.org/swineflu.

For a national perspective on the flu pandemic, visit www.flu.gov.

For an international perspective, visit www.who.int.

H1N1 Campus update - 10/23/09

To UIC Students, Faculty and Staff:

This is an update on the H1N1 influenza virus and UIC’s preparations for the disease.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says Illinois is among 46 states with widespread influenza activity. The CDC also reports that visits to physicians for influenza-like illness (ILI) continue to increase in the United States, and overall are much higher than levels expected for this time of the year. Hospitalization rates for confirmed cases of flu also exceed average seasonal rates. Anecdotal information and laboratory data demonstrate that H1N1 is circulating at UIC but we do not at this time observe high levels.

To help combat the spread of flu, UIC requested 10,000 doses of the seasonal flu vaccine, compared with 4,500 administered last year. The campus has received 7,500 so far and all of these were administered free in late September and earlier this month to our students, faculty and staff. We have another 5,000 doses on order and as soon as they are available, notices will be sent to the UIC community.

The campus also has received 1,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine out of 120,000 ordered. We do not know for certain when we will receive the remaining doses. The government has established priorities for who should receive the H1N1 vaccines first, with healthcare workers and persons between the ages of six months and 24 years among the initial groups targeted for inoculation. The campus will follow federal protocols for administering the inoculations and the UIC community will be fully informed when the vaccine is more widely available.

We encourage everyone to read the recent updates posted on this, particularly the 9/22 update on planning for flu-related absences. We also encourage everyone to take preventive actions:

Flu symptoms include:

If you do become sick with flu-like illness:

Updated campus information on seasonal flu and H1N1 flu will continue to be distributed via Official mass e-mails and posted on this page. For more information on flu please visit the following Web sites:

Sincerely,

Dr. William Chamberlin
Chief Medical Officer
University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago

Influenza Preparation for Supervisors

While the number of cases of flu reported at UIC remains low, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says Illinois is among 46 states with widespread influenza activity. Due to the infectious nature of the flu and its potential for readily spreading through the workforce, we are providing guidelines in preparation for this season. Please share this information with all supervisors in your area.

Illness of employee:

If an employee comes to work ill or is suspected of having Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) symptoms, he/she should be sent home or, if he or she does not have a personal physician and wishes to receive medical attention, to the University Health Service (open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Friday, and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays).

Employees who are unable to come to work due to ILI should call their department according to University policy.

Flu symptoms include:

Supervisors should use reasonable judgment and follow University human resources policies and procedures that are in place and any specific departmental policies. Supervisors can require that an employee visit the University Health Service for clearance before returning to the workforce. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people with ILI remain at home at least 24 hours after they are free of fever or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medications. For healthcare employees, the Medical Center will provide its own, separate statement of guidelines.

At no time should a supervisor insist that an employee come to or remain at work if that employee is sick.

Employees who are at heightened risk:

We ask supervisors to make every reasonable effort to accommodate requests from employees to be isolated or have limited contact with the public because they identify themselves as one who is at a high risk of serious flu complications as defined by CDC. We also ask supervisors to make reasonable accommodations for employees who need to care for a family member stricken with flu; these employees will need to use sick time if they take time off from work to care for a family member.

Facilities:

As a precaution, kitchen areas should be kept clean and have adequate supplies of handwashing soap and/or hand sanitizer available for personal hygiene.

Please help us ensure that all public restrooms are supplied with soap and that these restrooms are checked for adequate towels and soap supply more frequently since they are more likely to run out with the increased use encouraged by recent public health recommendations. Hand sanitizers are being installed in the Lecture Centers and the following buildings: Student Services; Education, Performing Arts, and Social Work; Behavioral Sciences; Science and Engineering; and Student Centers East and West. If soap or sanitizers are needed in any of the buildings excluding SCW and SCE, please contact the Physical Plant Service Desk at X6-7511. Supplies needed in SCE should be reported to Debbie Matthews, X3-5010, and those needed for SCW to Joe Phillips at X3-5221.

We have six standalone hand sanitizer dispensers that are available for special events. Requests for the dispensers should be made to the Physical Plant Service Desk.

Information:

Please encourage your staff to read the recent updates posted on this page, particularly the update on planning for flu-related absences and the 10/23 general campus update, which includes tips on prevention and what to do if you become ill with flu-like symptoms.

Questions:

Questions regarding human resource rules and policies should be directed to your departmental human resources contact or to Dan Harper, Associate Director of Labor & Employee Relations, at X3-4788.

Thank you for your cooperation.
R. Michael Tanner,
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

UIC Plan for H1N1 Flu-related Absences

Public health officials anticipate that many college students and instructors could become ill with H1N1 flu during the fall semester. If you have not done so already, please take time now to prepare for mass absences or changes in classroom policy that may be necessary for infection control.

It is of paramount importance that students or instructors who are sick with flu symptoms (fever, chills, cough, sore throat, fatigue, head and body aches) stay home to reduce the transmission of the flu. Please refer to guidelines above for more information about the flu generally, and for information about staying home and seeking medical care.

For Instructors

Even if many students become ill, those who are well will expect to have class. Unless you are ill yourself and no colleague is available to fill in, according to University policy your class must be held.

Thus, it is important for you to make plans now to have a substitute who can cover your classes if you are out sick. Work with your department chair and faculty colleagues to anticipate the need to cover for each other's classes, in case the primary instructor becomes ill. Ensure that your syllabus and course plan have enough detail to facilitate a teaching assistant or colleague filling in for you if necessary.

Review your course syllabus and identify where additional adjustments could be made if you become ill or a large number of students become ill. Be creative as you plan now to provide alternative ways for students to complete course work. Consider what you will do for mass absences mid-semester or during the very last weeks of the class including exam week. For example, for courses that include labs, you might consider scheduling additional make-up labs at the end of the semester in case they are needed. You might also consider planning a make-up final exam a week after the scheduled one. Inform your students about your plan.

The University does not have a policy requiring students to provide a doctor's note certifying that they are ill. This is also the recommendation of the CDC in regard to H1N1 flu contingencies. If students tell you they are sick, please accept their word and make it clear that they should stay home. Although students are being reminded that they are responsible for all missed class work, please help them in this regard so they will not feel pressured to attend classes when they are sick and could transmit the flu to others.

To help students keep up with missed classes, consider using Blackboard or other means to make course content available online. Contact the Instructional Technology Lab (ITL) for help with Blackboard or other distance-learning and sharing tools that may be especially helpful in a public health crisis.

You might also consider posting your PowerPoint slides, encouraging students to share notes, offering make-up tests or alternative on-line testing, etc.

Pandemics can change quickly and unpredictably. Faculty and staff will need to be flexible in responding to changing conditions as we pursue the educational mission of the University.

For Students

The University does not require you to provide a doctor's note certifying that you are ill. Although students are responsible for all missed class work, we have encouraged your instructors to prepare for mass absences or changes in classroom policy that may be necessary for infection control. We encourage you to do the same.

Unless you receive an official e-mail or sms text message that classes have been canceled, your class will meet.

Your instructors have been asked to consider providing course materials online, encourage the sharing of notes, offering make-up tests or alternative on-line testing, or taking any number of other measures to accommodate absences from the classroom due to illness – their absence or yours. Please be cooperative and flexible as we all seek to have a successful semester and minimize risks to public health.

Watch for e-mail updates and other communications from the University. Follow this page for the most up-to-date information.

Thank you in advance for your flexibility as we face the potential for mass absences of UIC students, instructors, and staff due to the H1N1 virus.

Bette L. Bottoms
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs

Mo-Yin S. Tam
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Additional links on H1N1 Influenza

About Seasonal Influenza (Flu)

Influenza, also known as the flu, is a contagious disease caused by the influenza virus. It attacks the respiratory tract (nose, throat, and lungs) of humans. The flu is different from a cold or other respiratory infection (bronchitis).

Symptoms of Influenza (Flu)

Influenza comes on suddenly and may include the following symptoms: fever, headache, extreme fatigue (tiredness), sore throat, dry cough, stuffy nose, body aches. These are known as "flu-like" symptoms. Vomiting and diarrhea are NOT typical symptoms of influenza.

How Influenza Spreads

Influenza spreads when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks and sends the flu virus into the air, and other people inhale the virus. Influenza can also spread when a person touches a surface that has the flu virus on it, such as a door knob, telephone receiver, computer keyboard, etcfluenza can also spread when a person touches a surface that has the flu virus on it, such as a door knob, telephone receiver, computer keyboard, etc. and then touches the nose or eyes.

People infected with the influenza virus can spread the flu starting about one day before they feel sick, and adults can continue to pass the virus for 3 to 7 days after symptoms start. Children can pass the virus for longer than 7 days.

Management of Students or Faculty Exposed to Influenza

  1. Watch for fever (take temperature once a day) and respiratory symptoms for 2-3 days following exposure.
  2. Symptomatic students or faculty should not go to school or work. The influenza virus is highly contagious and is responsible for large outbreaks resulting in cancellation of classes and school closures.
  3. If symptoms develop, rest and drink plenty of liquids. Avoid alcohol and tobacco. Take medications to relieve the symptoms of flu, but avoid aspirin.
  4. If symptoms worsen rather than lessen, contact your personal physician or the Family Medicine Center (996-2901) and tell them you are worried that you have influenza.

Infection Control Recommendations

Note: if you live in a dormitory, please report your illness to the residence hall director.

Web Sites for More Information