H1N1 INFLUENZA GUIDANCE
Physicians, housestaff, nurses, technicians, other healthcare providers, students, and ancillary staff who have contact with patients have an ethical obligation to protect them from harm. This includes protecting patients from unnecessary exposure to infectious pathogens (e.g., influenza virus) that the employee/student may be inadvertently carrying. It is imperative that we remember that many of our patients are at high risk of developing serious complications, including death, if they become infected with the H1N1 Influenza virus. Our patients have placed their trust in us to deliver the best healthcare available, therefore strict adherence to our guidelines and compliance with our policies to prevent transmission of influenza in our institution is not a choice but our responsibility.
University Community/General Guidance
Employees/Students with Patient Contact
Students
Faculty Members
Managers and Supervisors
Human Resources-related Issues
Workplace Diversity-related Issues
Risk and Claims Management-related Issues
For All Members of the University Community
If you have questions or concerns regarding H1N1 Influenza and/or seasonal flu, call NJPIES 24x7 at 800-222-1222 for up-to-date answers and information.
People who do not have symptoms of flu can work or attend school, even if they have an ill person at home. In other words, if you have been exposed to an ill person, and you are not sick, you can work or attend school as normal.
Stay informed
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) websites on novel influenza A (H1N1) are updated regularly with useful information:
Stop the spread
The H1N1 Influenza virus, like all flu viruses, causes respiratory disease that can spread from person to person. Therefore, you should:
- Practice good cough/sneeze etiquette - cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze; alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
- Stay home if you are sick; the CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
- Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds, and other social distancing measures.
At the beginning of all large social gatherings, including large classes, the convener should remind attendees of the following:
"Remember...the Surgeon General recommends that you use good cough etiquette at all times. Cough or sneeze into your sleeve or a tissue, not into your hands. And be sure to wash your hands often, especially after you cough or sneeze."
If you contact someone with ILI at work, at home or in the community, then:
- Try to maintain a distance of six (6) or more feet from the ill person;
- Keep your interactions with the ill person as brief as possible;
- Ask the ill person to follow good respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette: use tissue to cover coughs and sneezes, cough into a sleeve if tissues are not available, and to wear a surgical face mask;
- You both should follow good hand hygiene and wash hands or use waterless hand sanitizer, especially after a cough or sneeze; and,
- Speak with your supervisor if you have any questions about workplace exposure.
If you are ill with influenza-like illness (ILI):
- If you are at work, then put on a surgical mask, notify your supervisor and go home, and contact your personal health care provider, as necessary.
- If you are a health care worker, then you should stay home for seven (7) days after your illness began or until 24 hours after your symptoms resolve, whichever is longer.
- If you are not a health care worker, then you should stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone, without the use of fever-reducing medications. For these purposes, a fever is defined as having a temperature of 100oF (37.8oC) or higher.
- When you return to work after your absence, you can return directly back to your work area or school and report to your supervisor. Please see details below in the relevant sections for additional return to work/school requirements.
Respirators and Facemasks
If you are in a health care setting, you must wear an N-95 respirator when caring for a person with known, probable, or suspected H1N1 Influenza or a person with ILI, and you must follow all the infection control policies of your facility.
- “Caring” includes all activities that bring you into proximity to such a patient.
- If it has been over one (1) year since your most recent fit-test for an N-95 respirator, you must be re-fit-tested; please speak with your supervisor.
If you are not in a health care setting, then the use of a respirator or facemask is generally not recommended.
Emergency Plans and Notification
Details of the University's all-hazards Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) can be found at: http://ready.umdnj.edu/EOP.shtml
In the event that the University alters its operations due to this outbreak (or for some other reason), information will be made available through a variety of mechanisms, including:
- UMDNJ Portal: http://my.umdnj.edu
- UMDNJ Home Page: http://www.umdnj.edu
- E-mail and/or Text Message from ALERT@UMDNJ.EDU
- Recorded message: 888-MY-UMDNJ (888-698-6365)
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/umdnjoem
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com (search for UMDNJ Alert)
- NJAlert: http://www.njalert.org (UMDNJ Group)
- Go to http://ready.umdnj.edu for more information on the University's emergency notification system: ALERT@UMDNJ
For Employees and Students with Patient Contact
You must wash your hands frequently, BEFORE and AFTER every patient encounter and touching potentially contaminated surfaces.
- Use either an alcohol-based cleaner (> 60% alcohol) or wash with soap and water for at least twenty (20) seconds.
If a patient you are caring for has known, probable, or suspected H1N1 Influenza or exhibits signs/symptoms consistent with ILI, you must place a surgical mask on the patient and you must wear an N-95 respirator and other personal protective equipment, as indicated, and follow all the infection control policies of your facility.
- “Caring” includes all activities that bring you into proximity to such a patient.
- If it has been over one (1) year since your most recent fit-test for an N-95 respirator, you must be re-fit-tested; please speak with your supervisor.
UMDNJ is currently not offering pre-exposure antiviral prophylaxis. For information about post-exposure antiviral prophylaxis, please speak with your supervisor.
If you are pregnant; over age 65; have chronic pulmonary, cardiovascular, hepatic, hematological, neurologic, neuromuscular, or metabolic disorders; have immunosuppression (including immunosuppression caused by medications or by HIV); and/or, otherwise a member of a high risk group (see: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/identifyingpatients.htm#groupsatrisk), and you are concerned about potential work- or school-related exposure to patients with H1N1 Influenza, please speak with your supervisor and consult your personal physician.
For Students (All UMDNJ Schools)
Vaccination for seasonal flu is required for all students with patient contact; anyone who does not comply will be de-registered. It is strongly recommended, but not required, for all other students. It is anticipated that these same rules/guidelines will be enforced for the H1N1 Influenza vaccine as well. Please see your Associate Dean for Student Affairs, or equivalent, for more information.
The attendance policy for each school remains in effect, unless otherwise noted by the school.
Students with influenza-like illness (ILI) should adhere to the guidelines detailed above, and must make appropriate notifications to instructors and/or administrators according to their school's procedures.
Contact your campus Student Health Service office for instructions regarding possible clinical evaluation of your ILI symptoms.
Contact the Associate Dean of Student Affairs, or equivalent, with questions regarding absenteeism and requirements for returning to school.
For Faculty Members
It is of critical importance to the operation of the schools that faculty members follow their departmental/school call-out procedures when ill; for more information, please see your department chairperson.
For Managers and Supervisors
Managers and supervisors with questions should speak with (as appropriate):
- Campus Occupational Medicine/Employee Health Service or Student Health Service
- Newark Occupational Medicine Service: 2-2900
- Newark Student Health Services: 2-8219
- New Brunswick/Piscataway Employee Health Service: 732-445-0123 x600
- New Brunswick/Piscataway Student Health Service: 5-5160
- Camden/Stratford Employee Health Service: 6-6825
- Stratford Student Health Service: 6-6825
- Camden Student Health Service: 856-342-2434
- Department of Human Resources
- Abbe Kanan, Esq., Director of Labor Relations: 2-4644 email
- Margorie Michele, Director of Human Resources Services: 2-6757 email
- Campus Labor Relations Coordinator
- Your assigned Human Resources Generalist (HR Generalist Locator)
- Office of Workplace Diversity (for cases involving potential disability)
- Laxmi Vazirani, Workplace Diversity Officer: 2-4190 email
Human Resources-related Issues
The current Human Resources policies concerning sick leave remain in effect.
Employees with influenza-like illness (ILI) should adhere to the guidelines above, utilizing their accrued sick time for the absence.
Departmental call-out procedures must be followed.
Staff employees must provide a doctor's note to their supervisor upon returning to work.
If your ILI is severe and subsequently defined as a "serious health condition" by your health care provider, and meets other eligibility criteria pursuant to the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), or you are required to care for an eligible family member for a "serious health condition" as defined by FMLA, you may apply for such leave. Please review the Medical/FMLA policy at: http://www.umdnj.edu/hrweb/policies/pl404000.pdf
Employees with related questions should speak to their supervisors.
Workplace Diversity-related Issues
Employees may be eligible for accommodations based on disability. For disability accommodation questions contact Laxmi Vazirani, Workplace Diversity Officer, or visit: http://www.umdnj.edu/owdweb/disability/index.shtml
Risk and Claims Management-related Issues
As necessary, employees should seek treatment under their health care insurance plan as they would for any normal cold, flu, or other similar illness. In accordance with UMDNJ policies, an incident report must be completed by the employee's supervisor if an employee believes that an on-the-job exposure has occurred, and/or if the employee believes that his/her injury or illness is causally related to the work environment. Infectious illnesses that are prevalent in the general population, such as colds and the flu, are not generally compensable under Workers' Compensation law. That being said, each individual claim will be considered based upon the merits and extraordinary nature of a particular occurrence.
