Contingency Planning

Stanford Takes Precautions in Case of Flu Outbreak

July 30, 2007

Stanford University is taking preventative measures in case a pandemic were to occur. Stanford plans to cancel all classes and evacuate the campus in the event of an outbreak.

Preparations are being led by an emergency planning group, which has been working on an avian flu pandemic plan since last October. The group is composed of officials from various Stanford University departments, including Vaden Health Center, Environmental Health and Safety, Public Safety, the Provost's Office, Student Affairs and Human Resources. Stanford Hospital and Santa Clara County Public Health officials also attend the group's meetings, which take place every two weeks.

The group is led by Larry Gibbs, associate vice provost for Environmental Health and Safety, and Dr. Ira Friedman, a health services administrator. Gibbs, who oversees the Emergency Management program at Stanford, is in charge of all campus emergencies, including epidemics. While he says that the most likely campus emergency is an earthquake, Gibbs is also in charge of preparing for fires, natural disasters and infectious disease outbreaks like avian flu.

Many group members originally convened in 2003 under the threat of a SARS outbreak; infectious disease planning has been taking place at Stanford ever since.

"Emergency planning is an ongoing process," Gibbs says. "It is never ending. We have been taking steps one at a time."

Sasha Madison, manager of the infection control department at Stanford Hospital, says the group is constantly thinking ahead. "There is always more planning involved," Madison says. "We will continue to plan as we get additional information."

The group's main sources for this information are the World Health Organization (WHO), the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the California State Health Department and the Santa Clara County Public Health Department.

Throughout the summer, nine smaller and more specialized groups will work on different aspects of the pandemic plan. The plan's goal is to identify how a pandemic would affect Stanford and how these impacts can be dealt with - or prevented.

"We hope to have the plan finalized by late September," Gibbs says.

While exact plans have not yet been established, the group is narrowing the course of action it will take.

When we think through how to best protect our students, we assume that it is possible to reduce the number of influenza infections by spreading our students out, so-called 'social distancing,'" Friedman says. "That is because in closer living and working situations, a higher percent of individuals will become infected."

The group is currently debating the appropriate time to evacuate students.

While the emergency planners hope to conclude their efforts soon, it is thankfully unlikely that their plans will be needed. The few cases of avian flu are isolated and currently limited to Asia, but WHO is advising all countries to monitor the situation closely.

"Of course, we do not know if the current influenza strain will become a pandemic or not," Friedman says. "But we are taking that possibility seriously; it is much better to plan in advance and be prepared. We are concerned, concerned enough to begin to prepare."

- Stanford University