The following letter and PSA's have been provided by the NCAA to continue alerting the general public, particularly those at sporting events, to the threat and seriousness of the H1N1 flu and to take precautions via vaccinations.
Letter to Athletic Directors from Department of Health & Human Services and Department of Education (PDF)Public Service Announcements about HINI Flu and Vaccination
(PDF)To view the PSAs online, see http://www.flu.gov/psa/#fightvideo.
Text of the Letter to AD's:December 30, 2009
Dear Athletic Director:
We are writing to ask for your help in combating the spread of the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus by encouraging college students to get vaccinated against the H1N1 flu.
While older people are typically hardest hit by the seasonal flu we see every year, the 2009 H1N1 flu has had an especially severe impact on younger populations, including otherwise healthy people under the age of 25. Unfortunately, college students by and large do not think the need for a flu vaccine applies to them. As Cornell University President David Skorton recently wrote in
USA Today, “…nearly seven out of 10 people ages 18 to 29 do not plan to get vaccinated against the H1N1 virus.”
Convincing college students that H1N1 is serious, and that vaccination is in their best interest, is a challenge. But with a lull in infections and an increase in vaccine supply—more than 110 million doses are now available across the country—we have a unique window of opportunity in the coming weeks and months to get people vaccinated if another wave should hit.
As former college athletes and avid sports fans, we know that sports have a big impact on the lives of students. With that in mind, we hope you will use sporting events as an opportunity to communicate with students and fans the importance of getting vaccinated for H1N1 flu.
Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new flu public service announcement (PSA) campaign targeting young adults and encouraging them to get vaccinated. We believe screening these PSAs at sporting events – both large and small – would help drive this message home. To view the PSAs, visit
http://www.flu.gov/psa/#fightvideo. In addition, we have enclosed scripts of short messages designed to be read over the public address systems in stadiums, field houses, or athletic fields.
Colleges and universities have already done so much to communicate how important it is for students to protect themselves against the flu. Many schools have links to Flu.gov or to the Web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on their own Web sites. Many have also engaged in on-campus vaccination campaigns or adjusted academic policies to keep students home when they are sick.
Fighting the flu is a shared responsibility. Getting vaccinated is not only the best way to protect students, it is essential to keeping everyone—on college campuses and in surrounding communities—healthy. We greatly appreciate the work you have already done to prevent the spread of the flu. If you are interested in joining us in this effort, please contact
Tim.Granholm@hhs.gov.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary of Health & Human Services
Arne Duncan
Secretary of Education