EMU Ebola Preparedness

Along with hundreds of colleges across the country, EMU’s crisis management team and EMU health services in particular is reviewing materials and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) about the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa.

Extensive materials are available from the CDC about prevention of spread of the virus, travel advisories, and more. Specific advice for colleges, universities and students are also under review by EMU staff and leadership.

Health Center Protocols

The EMU health center follows Ebola-screening recommendations from the CDC and Virginia Department of Health. Visitors should expect to be asked if they have recently visited West Africa. If they respond “yes,” health center staff will follow CDC protocol.

What about EMU travel to or from affected areas?

On Dec. 9, 2014, Ken L. Nafziger, vice president for student life and dean of students, issued the following statement to campus regarding travel precautions as we head into Christmas travel season:

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has been monitoring Ebola outbreaks in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Since EMU students, faculty, and staff have family and other connections in several of these countries, the EMU Crisis Management Preparedness Team (CMPT) has assigned our director of health services to track recommendations that are important for preventing the spread of this highly lethal virus. The latest recommendations that are relevant for EMU will be posted and updated on this web page.

Based on recommendations from the CMPT and upon approval by the President’s Cabinet, EMU is issuing the following guidelines to reduce the risks of faculty, staff and students being exposed to Ebola.

All faculty staff and students are advised to follow the CDC travel warning (level three) that “urges all US residents to avoid nonessential travel to Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone because of unprecedented outbreaks of Ebola in those countries. CDC recommends that travelers to these countries protect themselves by avoiding contact with the blood and body fluids of people who are sick, because of the possibility they may be sick with Ebola.” For more details, read wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices.

Although EMU is not banning essential travel at this time, we want everyone to be aware that anyone returning from these outbreak countries or alert-level-two country Mali will be subject to the following:

1. Screening before they can leave one of the outbreak countries.

2. Screening at the airport when entering and following by a member of the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) for up to 21 days to determine whether symptoms develop. This includes the possibility of quarantine, which means not being able to leave a specific area.

3. If symptoms develop, individuals will be transferred by the VDH for isolation and treatment at one of two approved hospitals in Virginia.

The CMPT will continue to monitor CDC guidelines for travel, and may update this information as needed. International Student Advisor Micah Shristi will keep in direct contact with international students about these issues since all international students are required by law to meet with him or his designee before traveling outside the country. and chair of the CMPT, Ken L. Nafziger, will also meet periodically with administrators of graduate programs (SPI, CJP, etc.) to determine how to prepare for students and visitors from outbreak areas who may apply for our EMU programs.

Although the likelihood of contracting the Ebola virus is very low unless one has direct contact with bodily fluids from someone actively sick, we want everyone to be aware of the symptoms, which may be read on our Stall Stories posters that contrast the symptoms of Ebola with the much more likely symptoms of influenza. For a more detailed list of Ebola symptoms, read the following information from the CDC website: www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola

We also care deeply about the impact of the virus on families and communities with cases, and applaud our International Student Organization (ISO) for their efforts to raise awareness and do fundraising to benefit those affected directly by the Ebola outbreak. Watch for more information from the ISO in the spring semester about how you can join their efforts.

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