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Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
What is SARS?
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), is the name that
has been given to an unknown virus that has appeared in South
East Asia. The virus causes flu-like symptoms with breathing
difficulties, a high temperature or fever, and occasionally
pneumonia.
SARS has so far mainly been restricted to areas in South East
Asia, although there have been a very small number of cases
reported in the UK. It appears to be passed on through close
contact with an infected person.
What are the symptoms of SARS?
SARS symptoms include high fever (> 38° celsius), dry cough, shortness
of breath or breathing difficulties. Changes in chest X-rays indicative of
pneumonia also occur. SARS may be associated with other symptoms, including
headache, muscular stiffness, loss of appetite, malaise, confusion, rash and
diarrhea.
For a useful set of Frequently Asked Questions, go to the UK
Public Health Laboratory Service website
here.
What are the affected areas?
The World Health Organization has designated SARS affected
areas. These are currently defined as follows:
Canada - Toronto
Singapore - Singapore
China - Guangdong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
of China, Shanxi and Taiwan Provinces
Vietnam – Hanoi
What is some advice for Staff & Students?
Q. An employee in my office is planning to travel to an
affected area. How do I prevent exposure to other members of my staff?
A. The CDC is not recommending quarantine of persons returning from
SARS-affected areas. The CDC has developed guidelines for businesses
and other organizations with employees returning from affected areas:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/business_guidelines.htm.
Q. I
have plans to travel on university business to one of the affected
areas. Should I go?
A. The university is following the World Health Organization (WHO) and
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
travel advisories,
which recommend that persons traveling to those countries consider
postponing all but essential travel. Travel alerts are issued for
other countries. An alert does not advise against travel, but informs
travelers of a health concern and provides advice about specific
precautions. Individuals traveling on university-related business are
in the best position to determine whether such travel is essential.
While the university’s
travel policy does not prohibit such travel by faculty, staff and
graduate students, it strongly recommends against it. The final
decision about making a trip to such a country is up to the individual
traveler. However, the university reserves the right to require the
execution of an appropriate release or waiver before permitting such
travel.
All returning travelers are asked to monitor their health for 10 days
following their return for any of the symptoms described in the “Who
is affected” section of this website, and if such symptoms occur,
follow the instructions in the “What
to do” section. Also, visit the
CDC’s
guidelines for organizations with employees returning from
affected areas.
Q. My department has invited an individual from one of the
SARS-affected areas to speak at a symposium in the near future. Should
we withdraw his invitation?
A. No, but you should advise the individual to review his country’s
travel advisories and to monitor his health for any of the related
symptoms. If your visitor has had close contact with a SARS patient or
is experiencing the symptoms described above, he should not embark on
the trip. Individuals should also be advised that if related symptoms
appear during their visit, they might be required to remain in
isolation for up to 7 days. The university has developed
visitor guidelines for units hosting visitors from the affected
areas. Also, refer to the
CDC
guidelines for organizations hosting persons from these areas.
Q. As a teacher, should I be concerned about allowing students
who have recently returned from the designated areas back into the
classroom?
A. No. If a student has traveled to one of the designated areas but is
not ill, there is no need to be concerned. All travelers from SARS-affected
areas are expected to monitor their health and follow the instructions
described in the “What
to do” section of this website.
Q. I still have unanswered questions regarding SARS-related
health and safety concerns. Who can I contact for more information?
A. You can contact the Student Health Center at Indiana State
University.
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Stanford, CA
94305; (650)723-2300 © 2003 Stanford University
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Contact with recent visitors to affected areas
Some concerns have been expressed about what precautions
need to be taken in respect of staff or students returning to the
University from an affected area.
Advice received from the local Consultant for Communicable
Diseases and based on current international guidelines, states
there is no need for recent visitors to these affected areas to
stay away from the University, unless they display symptoms
suggestive of the illness and feel unwell. This is supported by
advice currently being given by the UK Public Health Laboratory
Service
(click here for more information) in respect of returning
students to educational institutions (boarding schools etc.).
They state that there is concern about whether there should
be any special arrangements for students on their return to the UK and
whether they pose any risk to other students and staff. The service concludes that as long as they are symptom free, they
are not a risk to others. Visitors should be allowed to return and
advised to seek medical attention if they develop any symptoms suggestive of
SARS up to ten days after their return.
Recent visitors to affected areas/are you about to return to or visit an
affected area?
Given the uncertain future in terms of the development of SARS
and the potential for the spread of the syndrome, you may wish
to take the advice being given by the UK’s Foreign and
Commonwealth Office -
click here for more information. The
Office is advising against travel to the Guangdong Province of
China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of
China.
There is also the small risk that having traveled to any of the
affected areas, the spread of SARS may grow and further
restrictions may be introduced, possibly, in extreme cases,
limiting your ability to return the UK. For example health
screening is already in place for those trying to leave Hong
Kong.
For more information about SARS, you may find the following
websites useful:
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/ucomm/sars/
World Health Organization
UK Public Laboratory
Service
NHS Direct
http://www.cdc.gov
http://www.msu.edu/user/univphys/SARS
If you or someone you know has developed any of the
symptoms that may appear to be SARS, immediately contact the Student Health
Center 237-3883 or your local health care provider.
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