Dear University Health-Care Community,
You should have received a campus-wide e-mail message dated June 29, 2009, outlining recent guidance for faculty, staff and students who have been exposed to someone with H1N1 influenza A. (The e-mail message is posted on the Alert Carolina Web site, http://alertcarolina.unc.edu.) This information was based on general guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on June 25, 2009.
In addition, the University has developed specific guidelines that are consistent with information on the UNC Health Care Web site for employees who work in health-care settings. The following recommendations supersede information provided in the June 18, 2009, campus-wide e-mail message:
- University health-care workers who have exposures at home to known or suspected novel H1N1, should take their temperature each day and NOT come to work if they develop a fever with sore throat or cough. They should use available leave (sick, vacation or bonus leave, or flexible furlough program), as they should for any of the guidelines below.
- University health-care workers who develop a fever at work with a sore throat or cough should immediately go home.
- University health-care workers with a fever and cough or sore throat should remain home for 24 hours after their fever resolves (off antipyretics) and then may return to work. If they still have respiratory symptoms they should wear a mask while providing patient care until asymptomatic.
- University health-care workers who have a cough or other upper respiratory symptoms, but no fever, may work in all units except Neonatal Critical Care, Pediatric Critical Care and the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. Employees in these three units who develop respiratory symptoms, even if without a fever, should be evaluated by University's Employee Occupational Health Clinic, 966-9119. In other units, health-care workers who do not have a fever may work provided they wear a mask at all times while proving patient care and practice appropriate hand hygiene.
- In the event that a University heath-care employee is exposed to a patient with novel H1N1 (i.e., within 3 feet without wearing a mask), we will offer post-exposure prophylaxis only if the employee is immunocompromised or at high risk for complications if they develop influenza, or are pregnant (after consultation with the employee's obstetrician). These employees should take their temperature before coming to work and not come to work if they develop a fever and/or respiratory symptoms.
Updated information about H1N1 is included on the Alert Carolina Web site, http://alertcarolina.unc.edu, and on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/.
Sincerely,
University Emergency Warning Committee
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