What can pastors, principals, parish and school staff and directors of ministries can do to prevent the spread of H1N1?

As part of the detailed H1N1 Preparation and Action Plan provided recently to parishes and schools, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has made several recommendations in accordance with the guidance from the Center for Disease Control. Among the listed recommendations:

---Educate and encourage staff and students to cover their mouths and noses with a tissue when they cough or sneeze. Also, provide them with easy access to tissues. Remind them to cover coughs or sneezes using their elbow instead of their hand when a tissue is not available.

---Remind staff and students to practice good hand hygiene and provide the time and supplies (easy access to running water and soap or alcohol-based hand cleaners) for them to wash their hands as often as necessary.

---Be a good role model by practicing good hand hygiene and covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.

---Keep an eye out for sick individuals and send them home for further evaluation. If they do get the flu (common variety or H1N1), they should stay home at least 7 days. Then they should stay at home until at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever or signs of a fever (without the use of fever-reducing medicine).

---Clean surfaces and items that are more likely to have frequent hand contact such as desks, door knobs, keyboards, or pens, with cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas.

---Staff members, teachers, maintenance staff should also stay home when sick. Stay home until at least 24 hours after a fever or signs of a fever have disappeared (without the use of fever-reducing medicine).

---If staff members have young children, ask them to plan ahead for child care if a child gets sick or his or her school is dismissed.

---The largest group of people contracting H1N1 is between 5 years and 24 years of age, so schools, youth ministries and other sites working with this age group can act as a point of spreading the virus. Therefore, the importance of staying at home until all signs of contamination are passed is even more important for schools, parish youth ministry and religious education programs.

---All locations in the Archdiocese should maintain close contact with the archdiocesan central offices to determine and report verified cases of H1N1 infection. Reports of verified H1N1 infections must also be made to the County Health Office (see information below).

---All parishes and other locations should develop (1) a plan to cover key responsibilities in the event multiple staff members are out sick, and (2) communication tools to inform parents and staff (letters, website posting).

---Inform parents to expect that a staff member will follow up on all absentees to determine nature of illness.

---Control unfounded rumors of possible H1N1 infection at your site.

---The pastor or primary official at the specific site should take responsibility for reporting any cases or suspected cases of H1N1 to the appropriate County Health Department as well as to the Archdiocese. If the sick person lives in a county different from the parish or organization, both counties must be notified.

Information resources
---U.S. Federal Government: www.flu.gov or 1-800-CDC-INFO.

---Center for Disease Control www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/schools/dismissal_form

---Communication Tool Kit for Schools: http://www.flu.gov/plan/school/schoolflutoolkit.pdf.

---Los Angeles County Swine Flu Information: http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/h1n1.htm.

---Santa Barbara County Public Health Department: www.sbcphd.org .

---County of Ventura Public Health Department: www.vchca.org/ph/.

---Orange County Health Department: www.orchd.com.

---County of San Bernardino Department of Public Health: http://www.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/pubhlth/ .

---California Dept of Public Health: (888) 865-0564 (H1N1 HOTLINE).