As the flu season approaches, universities are working fast to complete pandemic plans and educate their staff, students and faculty alike on H1N1.

“We think we are in the best shape we can be in at this moment in our planning. The University of Regina has an emergency management committee on an ongoing basis and as part of this committee’s work we are working on H1N1 preparedness,” said Barb Pollock, University of Regina vice-president external relations.

Like the U of R, the University of Manitoba and the University of Saskatchewan also have their own pandemic plans outlining critical administration functions.

David Hannah, U of S vice-president student and enrolment services, said that each major administrative unit on campus has developed a plan and prioritized which functions are most critical.

“There might be some things we can shut down if things get really serious so that we can shift staff to areas that are most critical,” said Hannah.

Hand-washing techniques are also posted throughout the three universities.

“We have instructions on how to wash hands all over the place including the bathrooms and we have hand sanitizers in very obvious places with lots of [traffic],” said Pollock.

Debbie McCallum, U of M vice-president administration, said that hand sanitizers stations have been installed all over campus according to guidelines determining potential locations.

“If there is immediate access to soap and water, then we won’t put in a hand sanitizer. In areas where there isn’t a proximity to soap and water, then we are putting in hand sanitizers.”

Hannah said that at the U of S, 285 hand-sanitizing stations have been installed all over campus and that there is an emphasis on cleaning commonly touched surfaces.

According to McCallum, posters will be hung outside of computer labs outlining the importance of maintaining cleanliness in the rooms, and hand sanitizers will be installed just inside or outside the computer labs.

“That way we’re not transmitting any viruses from the keyboard,” said McCallum.

The three universities have placed high emphasis on maintaining communication with staff, faculty and students though posters, handouts and campus websites.

“We have televisions screens [ . . . ]. On the main page [of the university website] there will be a spot for H1N1 information,” said Pollock. “We will be talking with all our students very shortly to make sure they know that [the website] is where the information will be, should [H1N1] hit.”

“There is information out there now that [students] know about and the next stage will be to make sure they know where to get information in a time of concern.”

It is not clear if and when universities will close during an H1N1 outbreak.

“I don’t think it will be as simple to say if X per cent of the students [or faculty] are not here then we’ll close. It isn’t going to be that simple. It’s going to be where the absences are,” said Pollock.

McCallum said that Brock University has developed a method for individuals to indicate whether they are ill and the U of M is looking to do the same

“We are developing [a page on our website] where people can say ‘Yes, I am sick’ [ . . . ] and that is a way for us to collect the data.”

The University of Saskatchewan, like the U of M, is looking to track absences. Hannah said the University has identified 25 classes that have mandatory classes or high-level attendance and for the past month have monitored the classes to determine a normal attendance level.

“The public health authorities have asked us to notify them at the point our absenteeism is about 10 per cent more than usual.”

According to Hannah, the university has also asked faculty to be more lenient with requiring doctor notes for absent students and that the university health centre will no longer issue these notes to students.

“We want them to be focusing on taking care of students and not writing notes for people.”

U of S and U of M will be major sites for immunization within their respected areas sometime in the coming months.

“That clinic will be available to all staff, university students as well as the general community,” said McCallum of the U of M.

“We’ve tried to anticipate everything we could. Our plan is up on the website now and we’re just waiting to see what happens,” said McCallum.

“We hope we are in a good place; we are spending a lot of time and concentration on it. [ . . . ] Not many of us have been involved in something like this. We’ll just have to hope we’ve covered most of the bases,” said Pollock.

In August, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) released a document with guidelines for post-secondary institutions on the prevention and management of influenza including H1N1.

The steps taken by universities in Saskatchewan and Manitoba mirror those encouraged in the PHAC guidelines, including communication between administration, faculty, staff and students, education on proper coughing and sneezing etiquette and early identification of sick individuals, as well as reporting these numbers to local health officials.