Cases of the H1N1 virus (commonly known as swine flu) have been confirmed in the United States. This past weekend, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a public health emergency in order to mobilize federal resources.
As of April 30, 2009, there has been one confirmed case of the virus in the state of Georgia. We want the University community to be assured that we are prepared. The University has a standing Pandemic Influenza Response plan, as do all the institutions in the University System of Georgia.
There is no immediate cause for concern or undue alarm, but we will continue to monitor the situation very closely.
Ensuring the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff is our utmost concern. We encourage you to exercise simple, common-sense precautionary measures to help improve your own health and the health of those around you, such as washing hands, covering your mouth when you cough, avoiding close contact with sick persons and staying home if you feel ill.
For more information on UGA’s H1N1 virus Preparedness, see the University Health Center site at http://www.uhs.uga.edu and the Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness site at http://www.osep.uga.edu/.
Additional information on Swine Flu may be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/index.htm.
The University of Georgia, one of six National Institutes of Health Regional Centers of Excellence of Influenza Research and Surveillance (CEIRS), has several experts who can comment to the media on the H1N1 virus. For a list of experts and their contact information, see http://www.uga.edu/news/artman/publish/090428swine_flu_experts.shtml.
