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Retired in 2010, In Memoriam
UCF Community Encouraged to Participate in Avian Flu Vaccination Exercise
http://news.ucf.edu/UCFnews
http://news.ucf.edu/UCFnews
Aug. 24, 2006
By Chad Binette
University of Central Florida students, faculty and staff are encouraged to help the university prepare for a potential avian flu outbreak by volunteering as patients in a vaccination exercise Monday, Aug. 28.
Participants won?t be given any shots. The ?vaccine? will be a cup of M&Ms, and participants also can register for prizes, including an MP3 player donated by the UCF Computer Store and Barnes & Noble gift certificates provided by the UCF Bookstore.
The exercise will be held from <time hour="8" minute="30">8:30</time> to <time hour="11" minute="30">11:30 a.m.</time> in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union. Participants do not need to register in advance; they can show up any time before <time hour="11" minute="15">11:15 a.m.</time> and should plan on spending about 20 minutes at the exercise.
Each volunteer will fill out a one-page health screening form before sitting down with a UCF health professional, nursing faculty member or student for a follow-up screening and then the delivery of the "vaccine."
UCF is hoping that as many as 1,000 students, faculty members and staff will participate. The exercise will help the university prepare for the possibility of having to vaccinate about 50,000 students, faculty members and staff during over just two days.
Dr. Michael Deichen, associate director of clinical services, said the exercise will help Health Services determine how many people can be vaccinated per hour and improve the plan that is being developed to deliver the vaccines at four sites on campus.
?We encourage everyone to attend and learn more about how we would help to protect the UCF community from the avian flu,? Deichen said. ?We hope we will never have to give the actual vaccinations, but we want to be well-prepared just in case.?
The avian flu has yet to reach the <country-region>
United States</place></country-region>, and health officials stress that there is no reason to panic even if it does. The disease is mainly carried by birds, and humans have become infected mainly through close contact with birds. To date, the virus has not been capable of spreading easily from person to person, and that type of transmission would be necessary for a pandemic to occur.</p>
Coordinated by Health Services with help from the
School</placetype> of
Nursing</placename></place> and other campus departments, the vaccination exercise is part of a broad university effort to prepare for a pandemic flu outbreak. UCF employees are working together to determine how to best care for ill students, continue essential services and provide classes online during a pandemic.</p>
By Chad Binette
University of Central Florida students, faculty and staff are encouraged to help the university prepare for a potential avian flu outbreak by volunteering as patients in a vaccination exercise Monday, Aug. 28.
Participants won?t be given any shots. The ?vaccine? will be a cup of M&Ms, and participants also can register for prizes, including an MP3 player donated by the UCF Computer Store and Barnes & Noble gift certificates provided by the UCF Bookstore.
The exercise will be held from <time hour="8" minute="30">8:30</time> to <time hour="11" minute="30">11:30 a.m.</time> in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union. Participants do not need to register in advance; they can show up any time before <time hour="11" minute="15">11:15 a.m.</time> and should plan on spending about 20 minutes at the exercise.
Each volunteer will fill out a one-page health screening form before sitting down with a UCF health professional, nursing faculty member or student for a follow-up screening and then the delivery of the "vaccine."
UCF is hoping that as many as 1,000 students, faculty members and staff will participate. The exercise will help the university prepare for the possibility of having to vaccinate about 50,000 students, faculty members and staff during over just two days.
Dr. Michael Deichen, associate director of clinical services, said the exercise will help Health Services determine how many people can be vaccinated per hour and improve the plan that is being developed to deliver the vaccines at four sites on campus.
?We encourage everyone to attend and learn more about how we would help to protect the UCF community from the avian flu,? Deichen said. ?We hope we will never have to give the actual vaccinations, but we want to be well-prepared just in case.?
The avian flu has yet to reach the <country-region>
United States</place></country-region>, and health officials stress that there is no reason to panic even if it does. The disease is mainly carried by birds, and humans have become infected mainly through close contact with birds. To date, the virus has not been capable of spreading easily from person to person, and that type of transmission would be necessary for a pandemic to occur.</p>
Coordinated by Health Services with help from the
School</placetype> of
Nursing</placename></place> and other campus departments, the vaccination exercise is part of a broad university effort to prepare for a pandemic flu outbreak. UCF employees are working together to determine how to best care for ill students, continue essential services and provide classes online during a pandemic.</p>