Pandemic Planning and Response

How St. Olaf is responding to H1N1 (Swine Flu).
St. Olaf College Health Services and the College’s Pandemic Task Force are actively monitoring the H1N1 flu outbreak in conjunction with local, state, and federal agencies. This is still an evolving situation, so we encourage everyone to act prudently and to adopt the health and hygiene practices, as well as the emergency planning suggestions, provided on these pages.


Check this link for important St. Olaf College
updates and advisories

  • What is a Pandemic?
    A pandemic is a global disease outbreak.
    A flu pandemic occurs when     a new influenza virus emerges for which people have little or no immunity and for which there is no vaccine. The disease spreads easily person-to-person, causes serious illness and often death, and can sweep across the country and the world in very short time.
    PandemicFlu.gov is an excellent site for a thorough yet basic introduction to understanding Influenza Pandemic.
  • You need to understand these two concepts:
     -- Although the 2009 H1N1 (swine flu) outbreak has reached WHO Phase 6, we are very fortunate that to date the Severity Index is only a Category 1.
    WHO Pandemic Phases
    CDC Pandemic Severity Index & Response Strategies

What You Can Do to Stay Healthy
Contains specific easy-to-follow steps, as well as a clearinghouse of CDC guidance documents, to keep you and your family healthy during a pandemic.

What You and Your Family Can Do Now to Prepare for a Pandemic or Other Emergency:
Pandemic Planning for Families
CODE READY: A website to help you stay informed, get prepared, and stay connected to your state and community organizations