This Tool Kit is designed to provide you with practical tools and resources you and your staff can use to prepare for a pandemic flu outbreak. This site and the materials were adapted from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Kansas Association of School Boards Pandemic Influenza Action Kit.

Many of the tools in this Kit were designed for and can be used for seasonal flu and will help your school with planning and preparedness efforts. They should also help parents and families begin their preparations.

Many, however, are concerned that there are other more important things to plan for. You will find that these tools can also be helpful in the creation of foundational elements of emergency preparedness planning that will be useful in any situation.

At the present, there is no pandemic flu in the United States and many feel that the threat of pandemic has been over-stated. The belief is not if a pandemic will occur, but when.  In West Virginia, we are preparing using a moderate impact pandemic as a baseline for our efforts.

HOW TO USE THIS ACTION KIT

This kit is available in multiple formats.  Using the table below, you can browse the different items, and, when available, choose the file type you would like to see. This is especially important for things like the sample release and letters as you can open them in Microsoft Word and make any changes necessary.

• West Virginia Department of Education

• U.S. Department of Education Pandemic Flu Planning Policy Letter

• School Action Steps

• Planning Checklist

• Public Health Instructions during a pandemic

• Characteristics and Challenges

• National Incident Management System (NIMS) Fact Sheet

• Surveillance and Reporting

• Influenza Case Definition and Infection Control

• Pandemic Flu Census Log

• Pandemic Flu Absence Log

• Family Pandemic Planning Checklist (English)

• Family Pandemic Planning Checklist (Spanish)

• Parent Tips

• Sample Parent Letters

• Prevention Letter #1

• First Bird Case Letter #2

• Initial Outbreak #3

• Expanded Outbreak #4

• School Closure #5

• School Re-opens #6

• Sample Press Release

• School Open

• School Closed

• Examples of Talking Points for School Officials

• School Open

• School Closed

• Posters and Fact Sheets

• American Red Cross Home Care for Pandemic Flu

• School Tabletop Exercise

• US Department of Education Pandemic Influenza Guidance