Eduardo J. Padrón
President
Office of the President
300 N.E. Second Avenue
Miami, Florida 33132-2297
305-237-3316
epadron@mdc.edu
Message From the President
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Preventative information about swine flu
By now, you're probably aware of the national discussion about the recent spread of swine flu and illnesses in Mexico and the United States. As of today, there have been no confirmed cases of swine flu in Florida and all cases within the United States have been considered mild and linked to travel to Mexico. News reports related to a suspected case in Orlando have not been confirmed by the Florida Department of Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The College and all eight campuses are open and continue to operate under normal conditions.
The safety of students, faculty and staff is the College's primary concern. Emergency preparedness personnel are maintaining regular contact and coordination with the Miami-Dade County Health Department, Florida Department of Health and the CDC to actively monitor the situation and respond accordingly. We will maintain and update all information regarding swine flu on the MDC Alerts Web site.
Ways to prevent illness
Simple precautions can greatly reduce the risk of spread. These include:
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
- Try to avoid contact with sick people. Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
- If you get sick, the CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
- Students, faculty and staff who become seriously ill should go to their doctor.
For further information on signs and symptoms of swine flu, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you.htm.
We will issue updates to the MDC community as more information becomes available.
Thank you.
Eduardo