With the threat that avian influenza could eventually become a pandemic, Penn State wasted no time in developing a plan of action.

"We thought it was much better to think through all the things you really have to take care of if something were to happen in advance than wait until it happened and then try to figure out what to do," said Dr. Margaret Spear, director of university health services.

Spear said the challenge of creating an influenza plan was something people at colleges and universities across the country were talking and thinking about.

The avian influenza pandemic plan -- modeled after a larger general pandemic plan for the university -- focuses how to address the virus if it becomes a threat to humans. The plan was completed in November 2006.

According to the Penn State influenza pandemic plan, if there were an outbreak on campus, the university would cancel classes and send as many students home as possible. For each wave of pandemic, classes would be suspended for four to eight weeks.

The plan also suggests that students voluntarily isolate or quarantine themselves, with Penn State providing for the isolation and quarantine of students and residents that live in Penn State resident halls.

"Their plan is very good," said Michael Huff, deputy secretary for health and assessment at the Pennsylvania Department of Health. "They're really struggling with some real challenges that would be unique to a university population."

Avian influenza, which occurs naturally among birds, normally doesn't cause illness in humans. Over the last three years, however, the H5N1 strain of avian influenza has become an issue, he said.

While there have been no reports in the U.S., Huff said cases of avian influenza in humans have been found in parts of Asia, Africa and other third-world countries, usually because of close contact between humans and infected birds.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all influenza viruses have the ability to mutate. For this reason, scientists are worried that the H5N1 virus could adapt to humans.

"What we're concerned about is the fact that this bird virus can mutate to become easily transmissible from human to human," Huff said.

According to the World Health Organization, if the virus mutates, it could become pandemic influenza -- a new flu virus harmful to humans. The virus would then have the potential to spread rapidly from person to person, resulting in a worldwide outbreak of influenza.

"Pandemic influenza is not like the seasonal influenza that we see every year," said Huff. "This particular pandemic will be 10 to 12 week periods, it will come in waves and it can last up to a year and a half," he said.

Huff said the virus is a respiratory illness that includes symptoms of coughing and sneezing. Given the unique environment a college campus could offer for disease transmission, the virus could spread easily and affect a large number of people, he said.

Penn State put together the Infectious Hazards Planning Group to address these growing concerns. Representatives from within the university and the surrounding community made up the committee.

Steve Abrams, emergency management coordinator for Penn State, was one of the members of the planning group.

"The pandemic plan consists of many parts and has a lot of players," he said. "My role would be to insure that everybody is working together in an organized manner."

The Pennsylvania Department of Health provided assistance, guidance and funding for the plan and its implementation.

"The main focus of this plan is to provide for the health, safety and well being of people who are on this campus, including students, faculty and staff," he said.

More information on the Penn State pandemic plan can be found at http://www.sa.psu.edu/uhs/pandemic.cfm.