A Message to Parents of Dartmouth Students

May 1, 2009

A message to parents of Dartmouth students from Dr. Jack Turco, Director, Dartmouth Health Services

I'm sure you're very interested in what Dartmouth is doing to try to prepare for the possibility of cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza (or "swine flu") on or near campus and to manage such cases if they appear. I'm writing to tell you about a range of activities under way at Dartmouth to try to minimize the chances that members of our community, including your son or daughter, will contract this disease; and to contain its spread if it does appear on our campus.

While there have been no confirmed cases of the disease in New Hampshire as of this writing — there have been two probable cases reported but not confirmed — there have been confirmed cases in Maine, Massachusetts, and other states in or bordering New England, and we at Dartmouth feel it's highly likely there will be confirmed cases in New Hampshire very soon.

As Director of the College Health Services, I have been deeply involved since last weekend in helping Dartmouth senior officers monitor and interpret quickly changing developments in the spread of this disease since it was first recognized in Mexico. I have been participating in daily meetings of emergency preparedness and management groups at both the College and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) as well as closely monitoring medical recommendations coming from infectious disease experts at DHMC, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (NHDHHS), and the U.S Centers for Disease Control.

Since early this week, I and others at Dartmouth, have been communicating with students, faculty, and staff members to provide updates on the situation and medical information they can use to protect themselves from this illness, including links to very helpful online resources provided by agencies including NHDHHS and the CDC. We have also established a web site collecting these communications: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~prepare/swineflu/

Our immediate goals are to:

• Encourage members of the Dartmouth community to pursue a number of recommended personal hygiene practices. Good personal hygiene remains the best defense against contracting and spreading viruses including the swine flu.
• Be in a position to minimize the spread of the disease if it does appear.

We are following guidelines provided by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services to identify cases, and feel we are well prepared to treat any cases that do appear, and to contain them.

We appreciate any concern you may have and will certainly do our best to monitor and manage this situation as it moves forward. We will continue to keep all members of our community, including parents, posted about developments at Dartmouth, through the Dartmouth website listed below and through email when appropriate.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STUDENTS

We recommend that you urge your son or daughter to follow the recommendations below — which we have also made to them directly — and that you follow them yourself:

• Please wash your hands several times a day — especially after you cough or sneeze.
  • Wash your hands before eating, drinking, applying cosmetics or handling contact lenses.
  • Wash your hands after touching common surfaces in public spaces. A shared computer, desk, countertop or door handle can pass germs quickly.
  • Use plenty of soap and water. Scrub for 15-30 seconds. Use a paper towel to turn off the faucet. Dry thoroughly.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth whenever possible.
• Please cover your nose & mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the used tissue in the trash.
• If you develop flu-like symptoms including a fever greater than 100 degrees *AND* sore throat, nasal congestion, cough, nausea or vomiting, and have been in close contact (within six feet) of a person with a diagnosed case of swine flu; or if, in the seven days of the onset of your symptoms you have been in an area where there has been a significant number of cases — see the U.S. Centers for Disease Control site below for information — then you should be tested with a nasal culture for the swine flu virus.
• In order to inquire about arranging for a test, call the Dartmouth College Health Services (Dick's House) at 603-646-9401 from 8 am - 5 pm; after hours call 603-646-9440.
• Continually updated information remains available at the following links:
  • Dartmouth College: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~prepare/swineflu/
  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC): http://tinyurl.com/c3orne
  • New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (NHDHHS): http://www.dhhs.state.nh.us/DHHS/DHHS_SITE/swineflu.htm
  • The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC): http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
  • World Health Organization (WHO): http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html