Admin Documents
Pandemic Action Plan
By M. Debney
15 Jun 2009, 12:48

Pandemic Action Plan

This plan contains the steps to be undertaken by the Principal and staff in the event of pandemic being declared or an epidemic is suspected by the school.

These procedures are to protect staff and students from a possible influenza or other pandemic outbreak.

This action plan should be used alongside “The Influenza Pandemic Planning Guide for Schools (the Planning Guide)” available on the Ministry of Education website, and includes references to that document and other resources where appropriate. It will contain the most up to date material on pandemic management.

For more information refer to these websites:

www.minedu.govt.nz/goto/pandemicplanning

www.moh.govt.nz/pandemicinfluenza

This Plan includes:

1.                Important points for decision making for South Wellington Intermediate School in a pandemic.

2.                New Zealand’s Pandemic Planning Strategy.

3.                South Wellington Intermediate School’s Action Plan to support the National Strategy.

4.                Restricting workplace entry of people with influenza symptoms.

5.                Contact Management.

6.                Best practice guidelines for hand hygiene.

7.                Detection and management of suspected pandemic influenza cases.

8.                Essential medical and cleaning materials.

9.                School Cleaning.

1. Review and modify this action plan at any time due to changing circumstances or advice from the DHB.
2. Maintain as full a service as possible for as long as possible during a pandemic emergency.
3. Consider alternative means of delivering education to their students (for example, distance learning options).
4. Close the school to students as part of New Zealand's National Health Emergency Plan to help prevent the influenza spreading.
1. School closures aim to reduce close contact between children (children have been known to remain infectious for up to 21 days whereas the risk period is only eight days for adults).
2. Closures do not mean that facilities would be closed for quarantine. Staff may still go to work, work remotely, or carry out additional or alternative duties for their employer or another agency.
5. Make the school facilities available for alternative purposes such as Community Based Assessment Centres (CBACs).
6. Make employment decisions accommodating staffing issues raised by the pandemic.
1. Staff may be sick, looking after sick dependents, or carrying out 'alternative duties' in priority areas for the school or another agency (such as health or welfare roles).
2. Employees will be paid their normal salary during a pandemic, provided, with their employer’s pre-approval, they:

                                                             i.      come to work in their usual workplace (with rigorous personal hygiene, social distancing and cleaning regimes in place).

                                                           ii.      work remotely (for example from home).

                                                         iii.      carry out additional or alternative duties for the school employer or another agency.

3. Employees will be expected to use their leave entitlements (sick, domestic, annual or other, with ability to anticipate some sick leave) if they are sick or looking after sick dependents during a pandemic emergency.
4. An employee who contracts pandemic influenza may be sick for up to two weeks. When sick leave entitlements and advances are exhausted, State Services employers may provide additional paid special leave during Stages 2 and 3 of a pandemic but only where this will contribute to preventing the arrival or spread of a pandemic. For an approach to leave usage during a pandemic see the State Services Commission .

The Principal must be aware of the National Pandemic Management Strategy and be prepare to act dependant on what stage of alert the strategy is at.

New Zealand’s Pandemic Planning Strategy

The diagram below outlines the whole of government influenza pandemic management strategy

South Wellington Intermediate School’s Action Plan to support the National Strategy.

Stage 1 – Plan for it

Trigger: Internationally, no new influenza virus subtypes have been detected in people. Health officials are concerned, however, that a circulating animal influenza virus subtype could pose a substantial risk of human disease.

Ministry of Health (MoH) Alert Code:  White

School Actions:

• None, this plan prepares the school to an appropriate level for this stage

Stage 1 – Stand by

• None, this plan prepares the school to an appropriate level for this stage

Stage 2 – Keep it out (border management)

Stage 3 – Stamp it out (cluster control) for schools outside cluster area

1.    Maintain contact with the South Wellington cluster appointed ‘DHB Point of Contact’.

2.    Make preparations for possible closure of the school or parts of the school.

a.    Take advice from your local DHB emergency planner, designated officer or Medical Officer of Health. Refer to the Planning Guide.

b.    Inform the school community of steps that will be undertaken in the event of a decision to close the school

1.    Maintain contact with the South Wellington cluster appointed ‘DHB Point of Contact’

2.    Make preparations for closure of the school or parts of the school.

a.    Take advice from your local DHB emergency planner, designated officer or Medical Officer of Health. Refer to the Planning Guide.

b.    Inform the school community of steps that will be undertaken in closing the school or parts of the school.

Stage 4 – Manage it (pandemic management)

Stage 5 – Recover from it (recovery)

Trigger: Population protected by vaccination and/or pandemic abated in New Zealand.
MoH Alert Code: Green

School Actions:

• School prepares to reopen as pandemic or risk from a pandemic abates and closure is no longer deemed necessary.
Activate reopening and recovery procedures in consultation with Medical Officers of Health.

Restricting workplace entry of people with influenza symptoms.

Students who are unwell should remain at home and staff, parents and whānau should be advised not to come in to the school when they are feeling unwell, particularly if they are exhibiting any influenza symptoms. It may be helpful to inform staff, parents and whānau of the differences in symptoms between influenza and a common cold. Unwell staff and students (through their parents/whānau) should be advised to contact a doctor by phone, and to stay at home until symptoms resolve.

All ill children and staff sent home or kept home will be recorded to establish when symptoms began and ceased to ascertain when they have completed any required quarantine period and are healthy before allowing them to return to the school setting.

The school will ensure that unwell staff members who live alone are monitored or have support people in place other than the school.

Students and staff who have recovered from the pandemic influenza are unlikely to be re-infected (they will have natural immunity) and should be encouraged to return to school as soon as they are well and, for students, the school has re-opened to them.

Contact management

Contact definition.

The Ministry of Health currently defines pandemic influenza contacts as people who have had close physical (less than one metre) or confined airspace contact with an infected person, within four days of that person developing symptoms. These are likely to include family members and/or other living companions, workmates, students in the same school (if in close contact situations or confined airspace environments) and some recreational companions.

People who have not been in close proximity nor shared a confined airspace with a sick person within four days of that person developing symptoms, are not considered to be contacts.

Note that the definition of a contact is likely to change once the nature of the pandemic strain is known. Boards and principals should refer to the Ministry of Health website during a pandemic for up-to-date guidance.

 

Contact management mandated by law.

To reduce the risk of further infection contacts will be expected to stay at home and avoid contact with others for a recommended period. This period will be set by health officials and is not at the discretion of employers.

In any circumstance, boards of trustees and principals should urge sick staff members with influenza-like symptoms to return home immediately and contact a health professional in the manner advised by the Ministry of Health on its website at that time. For sick students this will need to be done through parents/whānau. This may involve phoning the person’s doctor or nurse, parent(s) or a designated Community Based Assessment Centre (CBAC), to seek further advice. If a health professional identifies the patient as being a suspect or confirmed case, then the health professional will commence contact tracing in accordance with the protocols set by the Ministry of Health. This is likely to involve making contact with the patient’s workplace or school.

As indicated in the previous section, it is helpful for boards of trustees and principals to:

·         identify contacts (once anyone from the school is suspected to be infected).

·         advise contacts in person that they have been in contact with a person suspected of having influenza.

·         ask contacts to go home and stay at home until advised otherwise.

Best practice guidelines for hand hygiene.

Effective hand washing and drying routines are a primary means of reducing infections in students and staff.

Many disease causing virus and bacteria are carried on hands and can be passed from person to person through direct contact with the person’s hands or though objects or food that the person has touched.

Students should be encouraged to take responsibility for their own hand washing and drying but to do so they need a supportive environment.

Recommended technique for good hand hygiene practice.

• Wet hands, preferably and apply liquid soap.
• Rub hands vigorously together and rub all areas.
• Wash for 20 seconds.
• Rinse well and dry hands thoroughly, the following examples are considered thorough:
• 20 seconds by paper towel (2 towels 10 seconds on each towel).
• 45 seconds by air dryer.

Times when hands should be washed.

• After coughing or sneezing (when the hands have been used to cover the mouth or nose).
• After using the toilet or after handling animals.

• Before, during and after the preparation of food.
• When hands are dirty.
• More often if someone is sick.

Detection and management of suspected pandemic influenza cases.

Process

1.    If the school receives a call from a person suspecting they may have influenza, or from a staff member who has noticed a child who may be ill:

a)    Avoid contact with the sick person if possible and manage the process over the telephone, follow the advice using the first three boxes of the flowchart below.

b)    For someone at the school who is ill, follow the flowchart below:

Unlikely to be influenza. ·   Reassure ·   Advise them or the parents/whānau to visit their doctor.

Obtain a surgical mask for the person ill at school and organise for them to leave school immediately. Suggest they or their family call their doctor by telephone to advise that they have been in contact with a suspected influenza case.

Arrange for cleaning of the area where they have been.

Advise contacts that they have been in contact with suspect case. Ask contacts to go home and to stay there until advised otherwise.

No symptoms, as described above

Assess whether the person or child has any of the following: ·   High fever (or feel feverish and hot) ·   Headache, fatigue and weakness ·   Sore throat, cough, chest discomfort, difficulty in breathing ·   Muscle aches and pains. ·   Been overseas recently to an affected country ·   Been in contact with someone diagnosed with influenza.       Been in contact with someone diagnosed with influenza.

Person unwell. May be considered as possible case of influenza.

Fill in the suspected influenza Notification Form. Take names of contacts (those who have been within one metre of them or in an enclosed place for more than 60 minutes). See website for copy

Yes, has two or more symptoms described above, and been overseas OR in contact with some diagnosed with influenza

Yes, two or more of symptoms, as described above

 

School cleaning.

During a pandemic you will need to clean more thoroughly to minimise the spread of the virus. This applies particularly to hard surfaces (for example, sinks, handles, railings, objects and counters). Influenza viruses may live up to two days on hard surfaces.

Influenza viruses are inactivated by alcohol and by chlorine. Cleaning of surfaces with a neutral detergent followed by a disinfectant solution is recommended. Surfaces that are frequently touched with hands should be cleaned often, preferably daily. Information about the appropriate choice and concentration of disinfectants can be found on the Ministry of Health website.

·         Hygiene practices should be elevated in a pandemic to an even higher level than usual.

·         When a person with suspected influenza is identified and has left the school, it is important that their work area or office and any other known places they have been are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

·         Cleaners are to use protective gloves when disposing of medical room waste.