MySimmons - Simmons College Community Intranet

Important Update on H1N1 Vaccine

Simmons received an initial, limited supply of 100 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine on November 5th.  All of this vaccine has been distributed to those in the highest risk priority groups as identified by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.   Unfortunately not enough vaccine was received to immunize all of the students who met the criteria for these high risk groups.  

In anticipation of the eventual arrival of more H1N1 vaccine, the Health Center is creating a waiting list for those who wish to receive vaccine.  The registration form to be put on the waiting list can be found at http://tiny.cc/H1N1 .  All students, staff and faculty are welcome to sign up for the H1N1 vaccine.  The vaccine is free to all.

As we receive vaccine we will continue to immunize students according to the priorities established by the Centers for Disease Control and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.  To see a list of the highest risk priority groups click the "Immunization Information" tab at the top of this page.  If there is sufficient vaccine available after students have been immunized, then we will offer vaccine to faculty and staff.   Given the uncertainty regarding supply of additional H1N1 vaccine, we suggest that students, staff and faculty check with their primary care providers about obtaining an H1N1 immunization. 

Seasonal Flu Vaccine

To date there has been very little seasonal flu reported in Massachusetts.  With regard to seasonal flu vaccine, due to nationwide shortages, none is available at the present time.  If you are in need of a seasonal flu vaccine, primary care providers remain the best possible source of vaccine. 

Other flu information

If you are a Simmons student and think you have symptoms of the flu (fever, cough, sore throat, body aches) call the Health Center at 617-521-1020.  It is not necessary to come in to the Health Center.  All others should call their primary care provider to report symptoms.

For more information, please visit the following web sites:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu, http://www.mass.gov/dph, and www.bphc.org/swineflu.

• Click here to read a FAQ on seasonal flu and H1N1
• Click here to read instructions if you are a student diagnosed with influenza like illness (ILI)

Immunization Information

November 20, 2009

H1N1 Vaccine:

In anticipation of the eventual arrival of more H1N1 vaccine we have created a form which will automatically enroll you on the H1N1 waiting list.  The form can be found at http://tiny.cc/H1N1.  Sudents, staff and faculty are invited to join the waiting list.  Following is a list of the highest risk priority groups: 

• students who are pregnant
• students living in the households of or caring for children under six months of age 
• students living in the households of pregnant woman in their third trimester of pregnancy
• students with chronic diseases such as asthma, or with compromised immune systems
• students with placements in health care facilities
• students under age 19 

We hope to receive enough vaccine to immunize all other students and staff and faculty as well.  You may also want to check with your primary care provider to see if they have H1N1 vaccine available.

Seasonal Flu Vaccine

Due to a national shortage of seasonal flu vaccine, the College has been unable to obtain additional seasonal flu vaccine.  It is unclear if additional vaccine will become available, but if more is received,  priority for vaccine will be given first to students and then to faculty and staff . 

In the meanwhile it is recommended that students, staff and faculty investigate other locations for receiving a seasonal flu shot.  The most likely source at the present time is your own primary care provider.  .

 

October 7, 2009

Dear Simmons Students:

I'm writing to update you on the status of H1N1 (swine) flu on campus, and to share the current status with regard to the availability of vaccination for both seasonal flu and H1N1.

Reported Cases of Flu
As of today, we have had 28 Simmons students diagnosed with influenza-like illness (ILI). Since the definitive test for H1N1 is unavailable, a diagnosis of ILI is made by the Health Center based on symptoms. Seasonal flu has not yet arrived in Massachusetts, so it is likely that most people diagnosed with ILI have H1N1.

Students who were diagnosed with ILI include both graduate and undergraduate students; some are commuters, and some live in the residence halls. Following the protocols of the Boston Public Health Commission, isolation has been recommended for 24 hours after fever is gone without using medications, or four days after the onset of symptoms, whichever is longer. Please note that students in clinical placements in health care facilities may not return to the clinical site until seven days from the onset of symptoms or for 24 hours after fever subsides, whichever is longer. We are encouraging students who are able to go home to do so; students not able to go off campus have been isolated in their rooms. Of the 28 diagnosed, 24 have already been cleared to return to their usual activities.

Immunizations
As many of you may know, there has been an unanticipated national shortage of seasonal flu vaccine. Although Simmons had ordered more seasonal flu vaccine than we used last year, we have received only half of the doses we ordered many months ago. The H1N1 vaccine has just been released by the federal government; the first shipments are earmarked for health care workers and high-risk patients.

While it continues to be the intent of the College to offer both seasonal flu and H1N1 flu vaccinations to students, faculty and staff, the most recent information regarding the availability of the seasonal flu vaccine suggests that we may not be able to acquire enough vaccine for all who want it. If this happens, the College will offer immunizations to students first, and then to faculty and staff as we have remaining vaccines.

We expect to receive the remainder of our seasonal flu vaccine order later this month, and will continue to monitor availability so that we can order more vaccine if it becomes available. H1N1 vaccine should be available for the general public at the end of October/early November. We will provide you with more information about the availability of both vaccines once we receive those details.

In the meantime, if you do not wish to wait for the arrival of the seasonal flu vaccine, you may want to consider making an appointment with your primary care provider to receive the seasonal flu vaccine, or to take advantage of the many flu clinics offered throughout the area. Many stores such as Walgreens, CVS, and Stop & Shop are offering seasonal flu clinics. The dates and times of those clinics are available on the stores' websites. Additional information on flu clinics can be found on the websites for the Boston Public Health Commission (www.bphc.org) and MASSPRO www.massspro.org). We strongly recommend that you call any site/clinic prior to visiting to make sure they have vaccine on hand, and to see if an appointment is required.

What to do if you think you have the flu:
If you or someone you know is not feeling well we strongly encourage you (or them) to call the Health Center at 617-521-1020 to report your symptoms. Symptoms of H1N1 include:

• fever greater than 100 degrees
• cough, sore throat and general body aches
• GI symptoms (nausea, diarrhea) sometimes also occur with flu, but if these are your only symptoms you are very unlikely to have H1N1

In order to decrease the spread of the virus, it is preferable that you call rather than visit the Health Center. When you call the Health Center, it is important to know your temperature, as that is one of the major signs of the illness. If you live on campus, disposable thermometers are available in each residence hall in common locations (if you are uncertain of the location look for signs directing you on your residence staff's door). If you are diagnosed with ILI the Health Center will talk with you about how to manage your illness, and will call each day to check your progress. For those few students who are not able to travel home during their illness, protocols are also in place to find alternate accommodations for their roommates (if applicable), and to have meals brought to them. All students are asked to write directly to their faculty regarding absences due to illness. (We have written to faculty asking for their flexibility for absences related to illness from the flu.) The Office of the Dean for Student Life can provide additional support for absences as needed.

We will continue to provide updates to you on a regular basis by e-mail. You can also check the Health Center web page for up-to-date information: http://my.simmons.edu/services/health/. If you have any further questions, you may contact the Health Center at (617) 521-1020.

Best Regards,

Sarah Neill
Dean for Student Life

 

To Parents and Families

November 20, 2009

 Dear Simmons Parents:

I'm writing to give you an update you on the status of immunizations for H1N1 flu and seasonal flu at Simmons , and on H1N1 flu on campus.

H1N1 Immunizations  

The Health Center received its first small batch of vaccine (100 doses) of H1N1 vaccine late last week.   Notice of the arrival of vaccine was sent by e-mail to the student community, and those in high priority groups (e.g., pregnant women, students with chronic illness such as asthma) were asked to contact the Health Center by phone.  Not surprisingly, the number of students who responded exceeded the vaccine available, and we have started a waiting list in anticipation of the arrival of more vaccine.  Students wishing to be on the list can sign up on line by going to the Health Center web site and clicking on the link to the sign- up sheet.  We hope to eventually have enough vaccine to immunize all students, not only those in high priority groups.  Given the current uncertainty regarding the arrival time  of additional vaccine however,  we are also urging students to check with their primary care providers about obtaining vaccine from that source. 

Seasonal Flu 

The case with seasonal flu is much the same.  Due to nationwide shortages we have been unable to secure additional vaccine.   Although it's possible that more vaccine will arrive in the coming months, we recommend again that students check with their primary care provider while at home to see if seasonal flu vaccine is available.

H1N1 on Campus

 We have had 146 reported cases of influenza like illness  (ILI) among students at Simmons since September 11^th.  As you may know, the test for H1N1 influenza is not available to most health care facilities, so following the recommendations of the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) the diagnosis of ILI is made on the basis of symptoms.  Although all of the students diagnosed with ILI may not have H1N1, statewide data suggests that a significant number of them are likely to have this flu.  The students who have been ill include both commuter and residential students, and graduate and undergraduate students.  As the BPHC recommends, we strongly encourage  self-isolation of students with ILI either by going (or staying) home, or by asking roommates of students diagnosed with ILI to move.  Luckily most have been able to be at home, so we have had an average of only 3-4 students with ILI in the residence halls at any given time.   The highest number of cases on campus occurred two and three weeks ago, which we hope represents the peak of this wave of illness, although there is no way of knowing yet if this is the case.  

We continue to communicate with students regularly about the presence of flu , encouraging vigilant hand hygiene and other prevention measures.  You can read our most recent communication to students under the student tab on this Health Center home page.  At the bottom of the home page there are also links to a Q&A about flu, and instructions we are giving to students diagnosed with ILI, as well as sources for general information about H1N1. 

As always, we appreciate the important role you play in supporting your student. If you have any questions about our ongoing management of the illness, I encourage you to be in touch at (617) 521-2124.

Yours in Health,
Sarah Neill
Dean for Student Life