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Epidemic/Pandemic

Infectious diseases can spread with extreme rapidity, threatening the health and life safety of regional communities or global populations. On college and university campuses where faculty, students, and staff work and/or live in close proximity, epidemic or pandemic outbreaks have the ability to endanger the continuity of essential academic and administrative functions. If and when epidemics or pandemics escalate, IHEs should use these resources to protect their communities, including their international students and students traveling abroad.

The resources in this section provide useful information related to an Epidemic/Pandemic. The resources are organized according to the relevant Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Mission Area:

  • Prevention: This mission area focuses on the ability to avoid, prevent, or stop an imminent threat.
  • Protection: This mission area focuses on the ability to secure and protect a community against a variety of threats and hazards.
  • Mitigation: This mission area focuses on the ability to reduce the loss of life and property by lessening the impact of a disaster.

Vaccines and Immunizations
This website is an index of the American College Health Association (ACHA) and other resources on vaccines and immunizations.

Pandemic Planning
This resource is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and provides information and guidance on Influenza prevention, treatment, and planning.

Keeping Students and Staff Safe from Infectious Disease
This website offers a variety of resources related to infectious disease planning and everyday infectious disease control in schools and on postsecondary campuses.

Planning and Preparedness Resources (Pandemic Influenza)
A Centers for Disease Control website which provides numerous resources for pandemic preparedness at the global, federal, state, and local levels.

Pandemic Preparedness


A collection of federal, state, local, and university pandemic preparedness resources assembled by the American Library Association.

CUNY Pandemic Influenza Response Plan


This document provides an overview of a Pandemic Influenza Response Plan for the City University of New York (CUNY).

This mission area focuses on the ability to save lives, protect property and the environment, as well as meet the basic needs of a community during a disaster.

Pandemic Response Plan (Texas A&M)


This resource provides an example of a Pandemic Response Plan.

Pandemic Influenza Continuity of Operations Annex Template
This template provides guidance to assist organizations in developing a Pandemic Influenza Continuity of Operations Plan/ A Pandemic Influenza Annex.

Outbreak, Epidemic, and Pandemic Response Plan


This document details Trent University's plan for responding to a communicable disease outbreak. 

This mission area focuses on the ability to assist communities in recovering effectively following a disaster.

Please see the "All"  category for resources that encompass the Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Mission Areas.

Resources that fall into the "All" category contain useful information and guidance that is relevant to all FEMA Mission Areas.

Pandemic Influenza
A website which explores the National Pandemic Strategy, outlines current monitoring practices, provides preparedness resources, and answers commonly asked questions.

Pandemic
This webpage provides basic health and safety tips and explains what actions to take before and during a pandemic outbreak.

Planning for the Inevitable: Preparing for Epidemic and Pandemic Respiratory Illness in the Shadow of H1N1 Influenza


This website includes detailed lessons learned from the H1N1 Influenza outbreak in terms of planning for an epidemic/pandemic incident. 

Pandemic Flu - Public Health Research Guide


This website includes various resources on how to prevent, detect, and contain an influenza outbreak.

Blueprint for Pandemic Flu Preparedness Planning for Colleges and Universities
This report was adapted from the World Health Organization (WHO) Checklist for Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Planning to assist colleges and universities in preparing for a pandemic/epidemic incident

Thank you for visiting the Campus Resilience Program Resource Library. The Resource Library is currently available in soft launch mode only. Additional resources are being added on an ongoing basis. We encourage you to submit suggestions for additional resources and provide feedback on the website layout and navigation through this survey.

Last Updated: 11/17/2023
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