H1N1

Official UMF Policy H1N1 CLASS ABSENCE POLICY FOR SPRING 2010

As of January 2010, the H1N1 virus has declined in Maine, which is one of four states where it is still present. However, the Centers for Disease Control caution all of us that flu comes in waves. Because its return, possibly in a more virulent form, is a continuing danger, we are asking all members of the UMF community to help us in limiting the spread of this virus and other communicable illnesses. If you have not been vaccinated for H1N1, please consult the UMF Health Center or your medical provider. The Maine CDC recommends that the “nasal spray vaccine be given to anyone who is eligible to receive it.” They describe the vaccine as “safe and effective…for healthy people ages 2 through 49 years old who are not pregnant.”

Students who are experiencing influenza-like symptoms—a fever plus a sore throat and/or cough—should not attend class. These absences will not be penalized. You do not need to provide a note from your physician. However, it is your responsibility to notify all your instructors (via e-mail, telephone, or voice mail) as soon as possible about your condition. You will still be responsible for all course-related work, but appropriate accommodations will be provided. Repeated or suspicious absences may be questioned, with appropriate actions taken in instances of abuse.

Should you experience a fever plus sore throat and/or cough, you must immediately contact the Health Center at 778-7200 or your own health care provider. Based on CDC guidelines, the university requires that you be placed in isolation (not in your room in the residence hall) either by returning to your home or by placing you in a pre-designated isolation room in one of our residence halls. If you remain on campus, the Health Center will assign you to available space where you must stay until you are free of fever, without fever-reducing medication, for a period of 24 hours or until your symptoms have resolved, whichever is longer. You should not return to class until that time.

In the unlikely event of disruption of normal classroom activities due to high levels of contagion and absenteeism, the format and attendance requirements for this course may be modified to enable completion of the course. Should this occur, you will be provided an addendum to the course syllabus that will supersede the initial version.

For more information about the progress of the H1N1 virus in Maine, please go to [|http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/boh/index.shtml]