Many U.S. Schools Still Unprepared for Pandemic

A study has found that many U.S. schools are unprepared for the next pandemic. In fact less than half of the schools participating in the study even address pandemic preparedness in their planning and only 40 percent have updated their school's plan since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.
 
The study was published in the September issue of the American Journal of Infection Control and was conducted by a team of researchers from Saint Louis University. The researchers collected and analyzed data from survey responses from approximately 2,000 school nurses from elementary, middle, and high schools in 26 states. The goal of the study was to ascertain whether schools were prepared for another pandemic with a focus on infectious disease disasters.

The team found that less than one-third of schools (29.7 percent) stockpile any personal protective equipment, and nearly a quarter (22.9 percent) have no staff members trained on the school’s disaster plan. One-third (33.8 percent) of schools report training students on infection prevention less than once per year. Only 1.5 percent of schools report stockpiling medication in anticipation of another pandemic. On a positive note, although only 2.2 percent of schools require school nurses to receive the annual influenza vaccine, the majority (73.7 percent) reported having been vaccinated for the 2010/2011 season.

“Findings from this study suggest that most schools are even less prepared for an infectious disease disaster, such as a pandemic, compared to a natural disaster or other type of event,” says Terri Rebmann, PhD, RN, CIC, lead study author and associate professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Saint Louis University School of Public Health. “Despite the recent H1N1 pandemic that disproportionately affected school-age children, many schools do not have plans to adequately address a future biological event.”

The researchers conclude that U.S. schools must continue to address gaps in infectious disease emergency planning, including developing better plans, coordinating these plans with local and regional disaster response agency plans, and testing the plan through disaster drills and exercises. Whenever possible, school nurses should be involved in these planning efforts, as healthcare professionals can best inform school administrators about unique aspects of pandemic planning that need to be included in school disaster plans.

School preparedness for all types of disasters, including biological events, is mandated by the U.S. Department of Education.

Read The Full Report on US school/academic institution disaster and pandemic preparedness and seasonal influenza vaccination among school nurses