Ohio State takes precautions to protect against SARS

COLUMBUS – The Ohio State University today announced Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) policy guidelines that relate to the safety of the campus community; treatment of students, faculty and staff traveling to and from SARS-affected areas; and plans to address visitors to campus from SARS-affected areas.

President Karen A. Holbrook and her Cabinet on Wednesday approved the policy, which was created by a SARS advisory group that has been working for the last several months to develop procedures to prevent a possible occurrence of the disease on campus. The advisory group included representatives from university administration, Student Health Services, Student Affairs, Residence Life, the Medical Center, International Education, International Affairs and the Department of Athletics.

The policy was created consistent with current guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization (WHO). In summary, the guidelines:

• Assure the campus community that policies are in place to rapidly identify, isolate and treat suspected SARS patients in a way that minimizes risk to health care providers and exposure to others.

• Advise against anyone attending public campus events, including classes, commencement, athletic events, concerts, etc., with a fever or acute illness and that those suspecting they could have SARS symptoms seek medical treatment immediately.

• Explain the university’s decision to not restrict visitors or students from SARS-affected areas from coming to the campus because of screenings that are taking place both within affected countries and again upon entry to the United States.

• State the university’s decision to not authorize or fund travel for its faculty, staff or students to SARS-affected areas that remain under CDC travel advisories. The CDC currently has posted travel advisories for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

• Make the commitment that the university will monitor the situation closely and make any adjustments to the policy as necessary should conditions change.

Ted Grace, director of Student Health Services, said at this time, the university will continue to enroll international students from affected areas during summer or autumn quarters. People traveling from SARS-affected areas are being screened before they leave and those showing symptoms are not given visas to travel. In addition, those who do travel are being screened upon entry to the United States. Therefore, the CDC does not recommend individuals be re-screened as they arrive on campus.

Ohio State has canceled or postponed several university trips to the affected areas, including three summer study abroad trips to China. One student who was studying abroad in Taiwan was asked to return early.

The full policy is available online at http://www.shc.ohio-state.edu/Pages/sarspolicy.htm. Campus members with additional questions may email them to mailto:shs@osu.edu.
Travel advisories, which are updated daily, can be found at the following websites: CDC http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/ and WHO http://www.who.int/csr/sars/en/.

For more information, see Ohio State’s Wilce Student Health Center Web site at http://www.shc.ohio-state.edu/article.asp?section=&id=16&type=15.

The Ohio State University Policy
on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

Consistent with current guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ohio State University has established the following policies regarding Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS):

Campus Community

We want to assure the members of the campus community that we are following the guidelines from the CDC, WHO, and our local health department to protect the health of faculty, staff, students, and visitors. Policies are in place to rapidly identify, isolate, and treat suspected SARS patients to minimize risk to health care providers and exposure to others. Appropriate arrangements have been made if it is necessary to isolate SARS-infected patients who are unable to be isolated at home. Seriously ill SARS patients could be admitted directly to the OSU Medical Center. In addition, procedures are in place to identify those who may have been exposed to a SARS-infected patient in classes. Incoming students and interested faculty and staff are being provided with further information about SARS to protect their personal health, while remaining respectful of our valued international population.

In accordance with good public health practices, no one should attend public campus events, including classes, commencement, athletic events, concerts, etc., with a fever or acute illness. It is especially important that faculty, staff, students, and visitors from SARS-affected areas seek medical treatment as soon as possible if they develop the symptoms identified on the following websites: http://www.shc.ohio-state.edu/Pages/sarspolicy.htm and http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/exposurestudents.htm.

The University will include information about SARS at all international student health screening and orientation sessions. Students will be provided information on how to access community health care resources should they become ill.

Visitors to the University

At this time, The Ohio State University does not plan to restrict visitors or students from SARS-affected areas from coming to our campus. The CDC does not recommend canceling or postponing classes, meetings or other gatherings that would include those traveling to the United States from areas with SARS. Importantly, the CDC does not recommend quarantine of persons arriving from areas with SARS. People traveling from areas with SARS are being screened before they leave those countries, and travel visas are restricted for those with symptoms. In addition, U.S. health authorities distribute health alert notices to travelers arriving in the U.S. from areas with SARS, to notify them of the importance of monitoring their health closely for a period of 10 days following departure, and for persons who develop fever or respiratory symptoms, the need to promptly seek medical evaluation. Thus, re-screening persons without symptoms as they arrive on campus is not recommended.

University-Related or Funded Travel

The University will not authorize or fund travel for its faculty, staff, or students to SARS-affected areas under CDC travel advisories. Travel advisories specifically recommend against all non-essential travel to areas where the outbreak is occurring. The CDC considers risk in these areas to be much higher, because of community transmission or inadequate containment procedures. Travel advisories are updated daily and change frequently, and can be found at the following websites: CDC http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/exposurestudents.htm and WHO http://www.who.int/csr/sars/en/.

Continued Monitoring

Although many questions about SARS remain unanswered, University experts continue to monitor the rapidly changing information, and how the campus should respond should new threats to the health of our campus community arise. Please address any questions or concerns about SARS to the following e-mail address: mailto:shs@osu.edu.