Date: 06/26/2006

For the past few months, the university has been developing a business continuity plan to prepare for the possibility of an avian flu pandemic. A team, led by Rose Lee, SJSU's vice president of administration and finance, has focused on a response plan that will protect the health and welfare of the university community while allowing vital services to continue. Other members of the SJSU team include: representatives from the Office of the President, Office of the Provost, Student Health Center, University Police Department, Student Affairs, and Marketing and Communications. This group completed a draft in late May and is now preparing a detailed version of the plan. As of June 20, the World Health Organization has confirmed 228 cases and 130 deaths linked to the disease. The virus could mutate to facilitate human-to-human transmission, a development that could allow the flu to spread quickly worldwide, ultimately afflicting up to 30 percent of the U.S. population. For the latest on avian flu from the World Health Organization, see who.int. For Santa Clara County's preparations and to access educational materials, see sccgov.org.