Important H1N1 Update

Like most college settings across the country, there are now students at MATC with confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus. MATC is currently coordinating efforts to keep our students and staff informed, safe, and healthy.

We have taken several steps to prevent a wide spread pandemic and are asking both students and staff to do their part in being diligent in their flu prevention efforts, both inside and outside MATC.

We need your help with conveying the following information to your students:
• The College is requesting that students stay home if they are ill.
• The College policy is to encourage all individuals (faculty, staff, and students) to stay home if they believe they are experiencing flu like symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, headache, muscles aches, etc.)
• All sick individuals should stay out of school and at home for at least 24 hours after the fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medications. This time frame will likely be at least 3 days from the onset of symptoms, possibly longer. If an individual is ill with other symptoms, they should stay home at least one day to see how the illness develops and until completely well for 24 hours. 

Faculty:
Since the college is asking students to stay home if ill, we ask that you be prepared to accommodate unusual absences in this time of potential pandemic. Students who are absent due to flu-like symptoms or confirmed H1N1 will be responsible for notifying their instructors and obligated to make up all course work.

At this time, health and school officials are not recommending school closures for individual cases of H1N1 flu; however, we want to monitor each campus and rates of illness. Please notify Josh Cotillier, Environmental Health and Safety Manager with the name of any staff or student who reports flu-like symptoms or confirmed H1N1 virus, this is purely for data collection and monitoring purposes as it guides public health officials with surveillance efforts. You can do this via email or calling 246-6291.

Please share the following Prevention Tips to reduce transmission:
• Cover nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Throw tissue away in trash after using it, and wash hands.
• Wash hands often with soap and water, especially after your cough or sneeze. Hand sanitizers are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread easily that way.

What MATC Will Continue To Do:
• Consult with and take direction from local and state public health officials.
• Monitor student and staff absence rates.
• Actively promote personal protective measures to prevent the spread of illness.
• We will be vigilant about making sure that soap, water, and paper towels are available on every campus and supplemented by liquid gel sanitizers or hand wipes, as needed. We will continue to clean and sanitize areas known to be heavy germ carriers.

Information changes quickly with this outbreak. We plan to use the MATC website to provide updates and links to the most up-to-date information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, and the Public Health Departments. There is a direct link to this information on the MATC Homepage.

There is a public health hotline established for current, up-to-date H1N1 information. Call 211 at any time.

Thank you for your patience, cooperation, and support during this time–it is our hope that we can keep everyone safe, informed, and healthy.

Sincerely,

Roger Price
Vice President for Infrastructure Services

Joshua Cotillier
Environmental Health and Safety
246-6291

Anna Marie Hoffmann
MATC Health Educator
246-6027

Cindi Rutten
Employee Health/Human Resources
243-4133