Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Parents:

I want to provide information on what we are seeing so far this semester in the occurrence of influenza like illness in our community and also give you the latest information we have on when H1N1 vaccine will be available to the public through the King County Department of Public Health. Thus far in the semester, we know that H1N1 is present in our community, though we do not have very good data on how widespread it is. I am seeing about three students a week in my office who are seeking flu information and we have had an additional 118 students and seven employees who have reported experiencing influenza-like illness via the Cornish website self-reporting tool.

These numbers suggest that while the virus is present, it is not unusually widespread at this point. We have information from the residence halls indicating that while the virus is present, it is not spreading as rapidly as one might have expected from early reports in the media. It is also apparent at this time that the virus still appears to be relatively mild in duration and intensity with most people who have reported ill only missing two days of classes. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is monitoring more severe cases and continues to watch for any signs that the virus may mutate into a more virulent form of the virus. So far, these signs have not appeared.

King County Department of Public Health is the hosting clinics for the H1N1 vaccine around town for those in the priority groups listed below. H1N1 influenza vaccine is recommended for everyone over the age of six months but is not currently available for anyone not identified as a priority population at this time.  The CDC guidelines stipulate that those in the following groups must be first to receive the vaccine:

*  Pregnant women
*  People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age
*  People between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old
*  People ages 25 through 64 years old who are at higher risk for severe H1N1 because of chronic health conditions (such as asthma, heart disease, diabetes, or brain/nervous system disorders) or weakened immune systems
*  Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel will also be in the first group vaccinated because 1) they are at high risk for infection 2) they need to stay well so they don’t pass flu to patients, and 3) we need to make sure our healthcare system is able to handle a larger than usual number of patients during an H1N1 outbreak

Those who fall outside of these categories will not be eligible to receive the vaccine until more becomes available and the CDC expands its guidelines once those in the above categories are immunized.

However, as has been reported in the media, production of vaccine has been slower than expected and the date of shipment has been delayed. The most up to date information from King County follows:

November 3, 2009 - Public Health is responsible for the allocation of all H1N1 vaccine to the health care community in King County. Health care providers from across King County have been invited to order vaccine to provide to their patients and for staff who provide medical care. Over 400 health care institutions, practices and individual providers have requested vaccine so far, and virtually all of them will have received an initial allotment of 10% of their requested order for the flu season by October 30.

We will post information about the times and locations of participating King County pharmacies by the end of the first week of November. Please visit this page or call the Flu Hotline at 877-903-KING (5464), Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. for updates.

As Cornish is a small community without a health care facility we will not be getting the H1N1 vaccine on campus. However, the Department of Public Health is located .4 miles from Main Campus Center at 2124 4th Ave Seattle, WA 98121 and will happily accept our students for vaccination once vaccines are available to the general public. As soon as we have confirmed dates for the community clinics, we will let all of you know where they will be located, their hours of operation, and other information regarding how to get yourself vaccinated against the H1N1 virus.

We will continue to post the latest information about the virus on the college’s flu website, http://www.cornish.edu/flu/ The best guidance we can provide to you is what we have been saying since the virus first appeared: wash your hands frequently or use hand sanitizer, cover coughs and sneezes, and please stay home if you become ill.

Sincerely,

Amanda Graybill-Pennington
Wellness & Educational Programs Coordinator