The following message was sent to the Tufts Community Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009.
Dear Tufts Students, Faculty, and Staff:
Now that we are more than a third of the way through the fall semester, we would like to update the community on the impact of H1N1 influenza at Tufts. While the volume of influenza-like illness (ILI) at Tufts is increasing, our cooperative efforts are addressing the resulting challenges successfully. We are happy to say that all students and employees affected by ILI have recovered or are well on the way to recovery.
ILI on the Medford/Somerville, Boston and Grafton Campuses: During the first six weeks of the semester, Health Service on the Medford/Somerville campus has seen approximately 130 students with ILI, including over 50 in the past week alone. Most, though not all, have been undergraduates. An increasing percentage of these cases appear to be H1N1, although since testing is limited it is hard to know for sure. Some students have been ill for only a few days, others for over a week. Many of the ill students have been able to go home, or already live in an apartment or single room and were able to self-isolate there. Others have moved to isolation rooms, which are located throughout the residence halls, and stayed there until their fevers resolved.
On the Boston campus, we are aware of some 20 cases of ILI among students. We have not heard of any cases among students in Grafton.
We are also aware of some cases of ILI among faculty and staff. However, we have not seen any significant uptick in illness among faculty or staff.
H1N1 Vaccine: In accordance with federal public health guidelines, initial supplies of H1N1 vaccine will be allocated for priority groups, including those under age 25. With the recent increase in ILI, we have been particularly eager to receive the H1N1 vaccine for our students. Unfortunately, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health notified us last week that deliveries of vaccine expected in October and November will be delayed. We do not know when we will receive vaccine, but it seems likely that it will be the end of November at the earliest. We will let the Tufts community know as we receive more information.
Seasonal Flu Vaccine: We have also received questions about when we will receive more seasonal flu vaccine for students, faculty, and staff. Again, we do not have a clear timeframe. Seasonal flu vaccine and H1N1 vaccine are being manufactured simultaneously by the same companies; this has slowed down the manufacturing process. We are checking with our distributors daily, and we will notify you when we have any more specific information about seasonal flu vaccine availability.
Some local pharmacies still have seasonal flu vaccine available. We encourage those who are concerned about waiting for seasonal vaccine to explore these resources. Seasonal flu usually does not hit until January and February.
Monitoring Your Health: A final reminder to everyone that a thermometer is an essential tool in monitoring your health. Please make sure you have a thermometer, and take your temperature if you are feeling ill. A temperature over 100° F might indicate influenza. In such cases, Medford/Somerville students should come to Health Service for evaluation. Students in Boston and Grafton, and faculty and staff, should consult their personal health care provider as needed. And please stay at home to recover until you've been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.
We will continue to keep the university community informed of developments with respect to H1N1 and the vaccines for both H1N1 and seasonal flu. More information on the flu and our preparedness efforts is available at http://emergency.tufts.edu/flu. Thank you for your collaboration as we respond to this public health challenge in the cooperative spirit that distinguishes Tufts.
Sincerely,
John King, Senior Director of Public and Environmental Safety and Chair, University-Wide Task Force on Pandemic Planning
Margaret Higham, M.D., Medical Director, Tufts University Health Service
Professor Kanchan Ganda, M.D., Department of Public Health and Community Service, School of Dental Medicine
Joseph P. McManus, Executive Associate Dean, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
Kathe Cronin, Vice President for Human Resources
