Profs prepare for H1N1

As the H1N1 influenza sweeps through college campuses across the country, schools are implementing plans to deal with the day-to-day realities of coping with a contagious illness. On the front lines of those affected will be professors, who may see large numbers of empty seats in their classrooms.

Dennis DeTurck, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and instructor of Math 410, notes that Penn has posted guidelines for faculty and students outlining what to do if either the faculty member gets sick or a number of students in a class get sick.

These are basically common sense guidelines "about keeping lines of communication open," said DeTurck.

He said he and the faculty will stay aware of the proliferation of the virus and "put more material than usual on the web" if students need to stay home due to illness.

Indeed, the staff members who oversee the information and technology services at Penn are "preparing to put more materials online," including recordings and videotapes of large lectures where absence due to the virus might become a problem, according to an IT staff member.

In addition, DeTurck reassured students that "the College office is ready as always to assist students who cannot attend class … and helping them get back on their feet academically when they recover."

Because swine flu incidence at Penn has been limited thus far, prevention is being highlighted as a method of preparedness.

Accordingly, as part of prevention, SHS is urging Penn students to practice sound personal hygiene and stay home in the event they do catch the flu.

According to Matt Waller, spokesman for the Vice Provost for University Life, the new H1N1 vaccine is still in the testing phase, so he does not know when it will become available to students.

Despite this, Waller said this year's general flu vaccine is now available for students. Students who would like to be vaccinated can call or go online to make an appointment at SHS.

The H1N1 vaccine is still expected in some capacity, Waller added, "at some point in the fall." It will first be distributed to high-risk patients, following guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But so far, Penn has been fortunate enough to claim virtually no confirmed cases of the H1N1 flu.

In case the situation worsens, DeTurck summarizes the most crucial preparedness plan, saying, "The most important thing we can do is to look out for one another."

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