Officials from across the UW System gathered Thursday for a panel to discuss preparation for an H1N1 outbreak, emphasizing the importance of technology and communication.
Dr. John Shutske, program director of Agricultural and Natural Resources Extension and Outreach, said because H1N1 is a new disease, people are far more susceptible to it than they would be to a more common variety of influenza.
According to Dr. Sarah Van Orman, executive director of University Health Services, up to 40 percent of students could be affected by H1N1, and only 5 to 15 percent of the population contracts common varieties of influenza.
The panel provided a backup plan for universities to use should the virus affect a high proportion of students and instructors. Dr. Greg Lampe, UW provost and vice chancellor, said a web-based teaching ""shell"" is now available to professors to continue instruction online if necessary.
""We provided all our faculty with training on setting up web-based course management systems so should students be ill, they can access courses through the web, and should instructors be ill, they can provide assignments, testing and even provide lectures on that website,"" he said.
With these academic provisions, the idea of a 12-week semester has become increasingly less of a possibility.
""The only scenario under which they would recommend early closure of institutions is if we saw increased severity of the virus,"" Van Orman said. ""At this point, we don't believe this will happen.""
Van Orman said ""community mitigation measures"" including respiratory hygiene (hand washing, covering coughs, etc.) and isolating the sick will help contain the virus.
""It is very critical to support the notion that sick people stay home, and then work within our housing units to try to prevent the spread within our residence halls,"" Van Orman said.
The panel is hopeful that, with careful planning, the effects of the H1N1 virus will be far less severe than previously predicted.
""This pandemic will come and go,"" Shutske said. ""Eventually there will be a time in history we'll look back at this and reflect. I would say that the work that's being done will not have been wasted.""
