We are asking for your help in keeping the Teachers College community as healthy as possible.  The nation and New York City continue to experience a growing number of mild cases of swine Influenza A (H1N1). A small number of flu-like illness cases have also been reported at Teachers College and Columbia University.  We recognize that some of you also have been affected by the various school closings in the area.  

Accordingly, we wanted to let you know that members of the Teachers College administration are working closely with health experts at Columbia University and seeking their guidance whenever necessary.  Their advice and the recommendations of public health organizations like the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the New York City Department of Health are that we can all best minimize the potential spread of disease through individual preventive hygiene efforts, such as regular hand washing and covering of coughs and sneezes.

For current information about the flu, especially prevention tips and resources, please visit the Columbia University Preparedness website: www.columbia.edu/cu/studentservices/preparedness. The CDC has a useful link with information about caring for a sick person in your home, www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance_homecare.htm, and also has an informative podcast, What You Can Do to Prevent Getting and Spreading Novel H1N1 Flu, available through the following link:  www2a.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=11501.

The symptoms of Influenza A include persistent fever, combined with muscle aches or fatigue. Individuals exhibiting these symptoms should seek medical advice, stay at home if so advised, and return to work or classes when they are no longer symptomatic. 

If you do stay home from work, please follow normal College procedures for reporting absences. If you have any questions about these procedures, please contact your Human Resources Generalist.

Also, a question was raised recently about cleaning/sanitizing a classroom where ill individuals have been.  While we appreciate the desire to provide special cleaning procedures for classrooms and other public spaces where ill individuals have been, it is evident from reviewing recommendations from large public health organizations like the CDC and the NYC Dept of Health, that this offers little if any additional protection against transmission of the flu virus. Instead, and this has been the focus of all the information we have been sharing via our web and links to other resources, these health authorities focus their prevention recommendations on what is, by far, the most common means of transmission: person to person.  More specifically, those recommendations include encouraging people to cover their coughs and wash hands often with soap and water.  

Moving forward, we will continue to consult with Columbia University health experts and inform the community as necessary of any operational changes related to H1N1, and we will continue to keep the TC Community informed through the TC website. 

Have a safe and healthy summer.

Best regards,

Harvey Spector, Vice President for Finance and Administration

Tom James, Provost and Dean of the College

H1N1 Update - 6/4/09

The Hollingworth Pre-School, located here on the Teachers College campus, has closed for today (Thursday) and tomorrow (June 4th and 5th) as a precautionary measure because of a diagnosed case of influenza A in its classroom. Doctors are now viewing all cases of Influenza A as H1N1. As an additional precaution, the Hollingworth facility is being professionally cleaned and sanitized this evening. The Hollingworth Pre-School program will reopen on Monday morning.

To the best of our knowledge the child has mild symptoms and is doing fine. We continue to urge everyone at the College to practice proper hygiene, including frequent hand-washing and covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing. General information about the virus and its transmission, prevention and treatment is available at Columbia University's Pandemic Response Web Site.

Published Friday, Jun. 5, 2009