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Departments have been asked to review their summer activities
and to cancel all non-essential ones. If those activities are essential,
departments should review their contingency plan and devise appropriate
preventive hygiene measures for participants (especially if the participants
fall within defined high-risk groups, including pregnant women, immuno-compromised
persons, the elderly and young children).
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2) Shall I return
to work or school if I am sick?
If you are sick or are suffering from influenza-like illness (ILI), you
should avoid going to work or school. There are eight designated flu clinics
of the Hospital Authority to treat patients with symptoms of ILI, such
as fever (body temperature at 38 degree Celsius or above) with either
cough, sore throat or both. The Human Resources Office (HRO) has already
set out special leave arrangements for both confirmed and suspected Influenza
A (H1N1) cases involving PolyU staff.
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3) Will the conferences
and exhibitions on campus be cancelled?
At this point of time, conferences and exhibitions may
continue as usual. All public places of the relevant premises must be
properly disinfected. Event organizers must ensure that all participants
observe good personal hygiene. In addition, the event organizers should:
- Remind participants not to join an activity
if feeling unwell
- Provide surgical masks and alcohol hand rub
to participants, if necessary
- Contact FMO for special hygiene measures at
the venue
- Approach the Centre for Infection Control of
the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences for briefings on pandemic
control measures
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4) During the summer,
many departments will conduct interviews with prospective students. Are
there special interview arrangements that should be adopted?
The following points should be observed at the interviewing venue:
- Maintain good ventilation
- Avoid overcrowding
- Ensure adequate seat spacing (e.g. at least
1 meter) between interviewers and interviewees to reduce the chance
of droplet transmission
- Remind interviewees not to attend the interview
if they are not feeling well. Arrange for make-up interviews, if necessary
- Prepare adequate surgical masks and alcohol
hand rub
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5) Are there special arrangements
for the 2009 summer courses on campus?
The summer class and activities will run as scheduled.
Students should pay close attention to personal hygiene measures. However,
if a student attending PolyU summer courses is confirmed to be suffering
from Influenza A (H1N1), the Task Force for the Management of Influenza
A (H1N1), in consultation with the relevant authorities and the department,
may advise the Management to initiate class suspension, if necessary,
for 14 days (starting from the first day of the studentˇ¦s absence).
The class(es) refer(s) to the lecture(s)/tutorial(s)/workshop(s) the student
attended on the day of his/her last known presence in PolyU before he/she
was diagnosed as having contracted Influenza A (H1N1). The subject lecturer
may consider alternative modes of course delivery and assessment.
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6) If a staff member has
contracted Influenza A (H1N1), what is the advice for the infected staff
member and his/her close contacts?
Based on Department
of Healthˇ¦s ˇ§Health Advice for Persons Suspected or Confirmed with Human
Swine Influenzaˇ¨ and ˇ§Health Advice for Contacts of Human Swine Influenza
Patientsˇ¨ issued on 11 June 2009:
In the Early Mitigation Phase of this flu pandemic, the infected
staff member should:
- Put on a mask and seek medical attention as
soon as possible
- Follow the doctorˇ¦s advice on the use of medications
- Stay at home unless he/she has to pay follow-up
visits to clinics. Avoid going to work or school, and avoid having physical
contact with others until his/her illness is over for at least 48 hours
- Seek urgent medical attention if serious symptoms
develop
- Inform his/her Head of Department who will subsequently inform Health,
Safety and Environment Office for follow-up actions.
Close contacts (as defined
by the Centre for Health Protection) of the infected staff member may:
- Be put under medical surveillance for 7 days
- Need to wear a mask (particularly if symptoms
of Influenza A (H1N1) develop)
- Take antiviral drugs, if advised by a doctor
(The Centre for Health Protection defines a close contact as
someone having cared for or lived with a person who is a confirmed
or probable case of human swine influenza, or having been in a setting
where there was a high likelihood of contact with respiratory droplets
and/or body fluids of such a person.)
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7) If a resident living
in a different household in a multi-storey building is confirmed to have
contracted Influenza A (H1N1), what actions should I take?
Based on the criteria spelled out in the Department of
Healthˇ¦s ˇ§Health Advice for Contacts of Human Swine Influenza Patientsˇ¨
issued on 11 June 2009, if you are neither
caring for nor living
with a person who is a confirmed or probable case of human swine influenza,
or if you have not been in a setting where there was a high likelihood
of contact with respiratory droplets and/or body fluids of such a person,
you are considered to belong to the category of social
contact with the human swine flu patient. Other examples of social
contacts may include walking by an infected person or sitting across
from a symptomatic patient in a waiting room or office.
As human swine flu continues to spread in the community, the risk of infection
among social contacts
is almost the same as that of the general public. You should follow the
following advice:
- If you have no symptoms of human swine flu
(e.g. fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, shortness of breath, or
diarrhea), you should:
- Maintain good personal hygiene:
- Washing hands frequently
- Attending to coughing/sneezing etiquette
- Avoid touching the mouth, nose and eyes with hands
- Keep your environment clean and hygienic
- Maintain good indoor ventilation:
- Open operable windows widely for better ventilation
- Switch on fans or exhaust fans to enhance air flow
- Keep the air-conditioning system well-maintained (e.g. cleaning
and washing the dust filters frequently)
- Avoid visiting crowded places with poor ventilation
- Consult doctors before taking any antiviral drugs as prophylaxis (so
as to minimize potential side effects and a possibility of emergence
of anti-microbial resistance)
- If symptoms of human swine flu develop, you
should observe the following on
top of the above-mentioned measures:
- Put on a surgical mask and seek medical attention as soon as possible
- Rest at home, avoid contact with others, and do not go to work
or school when you are sick
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8) What are the guidelines
for inbound visitors to PolyU?
Before travelling
to Hong Kong, the visitor should:
- Check the most updated information relating
to Influenza A (H1N1) and other infectious diseases in his/her own country
and Hong Kong
- Avoid travelling if:
- He/she is unwell, has fever, has respiratory symptoms, diarrhea,
or vomiting
- He/she has a history of close contact with a suspected or confirmed
Influenza A (H1N1) patient within the past seven days
- Buy travel insurance that provides medical expense
coverage when commencing the trip, if he/she is not a Hong Kong citizen
- Put on a mask and notify the crew right away
if he/she develops symptoms while on board
- Accurately and honestly complete the health
declaration form upon landing in Hong Kong, or present himself/herself
to the port health post stationed at all border crossings
After arriving
at PolyU:
- The visitor should observe environmental and
personal hygiene measures
- If the visitor is feeling unwell, he/she should wear a surgical mask.
He/she should avoid coming to work or attending lectures/classes/meetings
and should rest in his/her room. If his/her symptoms do not subside,
he/she should seek medical consultation
As the pandemic
situation varies with time, the above measures will be updated if necessary.
If you are in doubt, please call Health, Safety and Environment Office
at tel: 3400-8396/3400-8386.
Updated 23 June
2009
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