OSU taking steps to prevent swine flu outbreak
Reported May 01, 2009
Ohio State is taking steps to prevent a possible swine flu outbreak after a probable case was diagnosed Wednesday. The university’s strategy is based off of a plan devised during the avian flu scare, officials said Thursday.
Yesterday marked the first sign of swine flu on campus, when the OSU Medical Center released that one of its employees was diagnosed with a probable case of swine flu. Further reports of the illness have come in from around the city, including one report that several women working within Mayor Michael B. Coleman’s office were tested for swine flu after returning from Mexico.
Neither director of communications for the Columbus Health Department Jose Rodriguez nor officials from the mayor’s office would comment on the report.
David Crawford, senior director of media relations for the OSU Medical Center, said the employee believed to have swine flu has not been officially diagnosed. He said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would release a statement within the next day.
Medical facilities on campus received sanitary masks to distribute to patients with a cough in case they have the flu. Crawford said having masks and hand sanitizer available is standard medical center practice.
“The first thing you see when you enter one of the health centers or hospitals is the hand sanitizer on the desk,” he said. “We also offer the masks year round, especially during flu season.”
Crawford said the medical centers around campus are going about business as usual, but plans have been drawn up in case of an outbreak.
“Each department has a plan to escalate to the community in the event of a pandemic,” Crawford said.
University Housing has also taken limited steps in preparation of the swine flu. Ruth Gerstner, the director of communication for the Office of Student Life, said the office is keeping an eye on the situation.
“At this point we are just monitoring the situation,” she said. “There is nothing new in procedures at this time.”
Gerstner said that despite the reports of swine flu coming in from around the city, students in the dorms should not panic, as there has been no indication of OSU students catching the illness. She also stressed that students should continue safe health practices, such as covering one’s mouth while coughing and disinfecting commonly used items.
A housing director on North Campus said that campus housing is at “level five” because of the swine flu scare. Gerstner explained that the level-ranking system was not something determined by the university, but by other health groups.
“The ‘level five’ ranking is not something related to Ohio State,” Gerstner said. “It’s actually a ranking determined by the World Health Organization.”
According to the WHO’s Web site, the fifth and sixth phases represent pandemic or widespread human infection. Until Thursday, the WHO labeled the swine flu at phase four, which is marked by sustained human-to-human transmission. Margaret Chan, the director-general of the WHO, elevated the swine flu to phase five based on current information.
“All countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plans,” Chan said in a press release. “At this stage, essential measures include surveillance, early detection and infection control.”
Despite having no new plans for handling a possible swine flu outbreak, the university is still well prepared for an influenza event, said Jim Lynch, university media relations director.
“The university is very fortunate to have a detailed plan in place,” Lynch said. “The plan which was developed years ago during the avian flu scare can be applied just as well to the swine flu.”
Bob Armstrong, the director of Emergency Management, explained that during the avian flu scare, representatives from all campus departments, such as the Medical Center and Transportation Services, met to create an emergency plan for a pandemic. He said they worked out solutions for various scenarios.
“Communication is probably the number one thing in a pandemic situation,” Armstrong said. “That and being proactive do the most to prevent a crisis.”
Armstrong said that if a crisis were to occur, the OSU Medical Center had a surge plan in place to deal with an increase in patients. The plan also includes security to protect the hospital, and transportation plans to carry excess patients to other locations.
Armstrong agreed with Gerstner that no one should panic.
“There are 36,000 deaths a year from influenza in America,” Armstrong said. “So far there have been eight deaths worldwide attributed to swine flu. That’s a big difference.”