Please see the letter below sent to the Exeter community from Thomas E. Hassan, Principal, and Myra A. Citrin, M.D., Medical Director.
This webpage will be updated with information relating to H1N1. A list of school advisories appears at the bottom of the webpage.
September 1, 2009
The summer break is drawing to a close and thoughts of the return to school are on all of our minds. We suspect that this year’s excitement is tinged with a bit of apprehension concerning the continuing rapid spread of the H1N1 virus throughout the world. At Exeter, we have been closely monitoring the situation. We receive updates from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (NHDHHS). We have also been keeping a close eye on media reports.
Last week, the Academy’s Incident Response Team (IRT)—a group that convenes regularly to ensure that the school is prepared to meet emergencies—formulated a series of precautionary measures, as well as a plan to respond to H1N1 on our campus. We would like to share some of those details with you.
We will, of course, remind the Academy community about prevention of H1N1 through the use of proper hygiene, and we will continue with some of the procedures we implemented last spring when the H1N1 virus was first considered a threat to our campus.
Precautions Specific precautions include:
- Education regarding proper hand-washing procedures and cough and cold etiquette;
- Placement of hand sanitizer in selected public areas such as classrooms and dining halls;
- Enhanced disinfection and preventive cleaning efforts in public locations;
- Planning for changes in dining setup and arrangements should the need arise.
In addition, we have instituted the following policy for anyone coming to campus:
- Those who have been diagnosed with the flu, or have flu-like symptoms (fever and one or more of the following respiratory symptoms: cough, nasal congestion, or sore throat), should not come to campus until 24 hours after their temperature has returned to normal without the use of fever-reducing medications.
If a Student Contracts the Virus or Displays Flu-Like Symptoms
We expect that parents of day students will keep their children at home if those students contract H1N1 or display flu-like symptoms. We strongly urge parents of boarding students who live within roughly an eight-hour drive of Exeter to plan to bring their ill child home. Ailing students should not use public transportation.
If a boarding student contracts the virus, or displays flu-like symptoms, the Phillips Exeter Academy policy will be to isolate that student at the Lamont Health and Wellness Center in accordance with CDC recommendations and provide treatment according to the CDC guidelines.
Immunization Plans
We will begin immunizing for seasonal influenza when the vaccine arrives, which is anticipated to be in September or October. By mid-October, the H1N1 vaccine currently in production should be available. The CDC and the NHDHHS are making plans for the distribution and administration of the vaccine. In its current form, it is a two-dose vaccine given several weeks apart. The recommendation is that the vaccine be given to all children and young adults from ages 6 months to 24 years. We will make plans to offer and administer the H1N1 vaccine to all students once it is made available. In the event that we do not receive sufficient vaccine to immunize the entire student body, we may need to prioritize based on risk assessment. When the vaccine information sheet and required permission form are available, we will send them to you via email.
CDC Advice on School Closures
The CDC advises that most schools will not need to close even in the event of an outbreak of the H1N1 virus. Instead, the CDC suggests that residential colleges—and by extension residential secondary schools—consider suspending classes as an alternative to closing. Our goal at Phillips Exeter Academy will be to keep the school open. Closing would become a possibility if the Lamont Health and Wellness Center were to become overwhelmed with students requiring isolation or if the outbreak triggered more severe illnesses.
In the unlikely event that we might have to suspend classes and send students home, we are asking all families to discuss travel plans that could be quickly put into action. Advance planning will help alleviate stress for everyone involved. Please decide where your child should go, how he/she would get there and what resources would be needed for his/her travel and/or stay. If your child would not be able to return home, please discuss alternate arrangements. In the case of international students, if you have not already done so it would be wise to identify a family member or friend in the continental United States with whom the student could stay.
H1N1 Information ResourcesThe websites below will help you to learn more about the H1N1 flu virus and the recommendations being made by government health agencies:
In the weeks and months ahead, we look forward to working with parents to keep our community healthy. We appreciate the part parents can play in encouraging good hygiene, social distancing and prompt attention to influenza-like symptoms. If families have a health-related question regarding an individual student, please contact the Lamont Health Center. Otherwise, please watch the Exeter website, http://www.exeter.edu/, for periodic updates on the general H1N1 situation.
Thomas E. Hassan, Principal
Myra A. Citrin, M.D., Medical Director
Learn more about Exeter's Lamont Health and Wellness Center...
School Advisories
Below is a list of communications sent to students, faculty, staff and parents about H1N1.
November 6, 2009 H1N1 Update from Dr. Myra Citrin
September 23, 2009 H1N1 Update from Dr. Myra Citrin
September 21, 2009 H1N1 Update from Dr. Myra Citrin
September 16, 2009 H1N1 Update from Dr. Myra Citrin
September 14, 2009 H1N1 Update from Dr. Myra Citrin
