Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(SARS)
Message from Joseph J. Seneca
University Vice President for Academic Affairs
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To Members of the Rutgers University Community:
Over the last several weeks, some members of our community
have
expressed concern over the possible impact that Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) may have on Rutgers University, with its
multiple international travelers and visitors. The purpose of this
communication is to clarify Rutgers University's current position
and best advice with respect to international travel and campus
visitors, with the understanding that the changing nature of
recommendations from government agencies and international experts may
require us to update and modify this information as world events
related to the SARS outbreak unfold. We will continue to monitor
carefully the latest SARS information for as long as needed in order
to develop and implement policies to protect the health and safety of
Rutgers students, faculty, and staff.
Information About SARS
There have been no suspected cases of SARS reported on any of
our
campuses. Rutgers University Health Services have been closely
following the developments surrounding the appearance and spread of
SARS, and have been making this information available to the community
on their website, http://health.rutgers.edu/news/sars.htm
(also
available via a link on the Rutgers University home page). This site
provides general information about the disease, links to travel
advisories and alerts issued by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and the World Health Organization, and contact information
for anyone who believes they may be experiencing symptoms commonly
associated with SARS. The site is updated regularly to reflect the
latest health and travel advice available, and it serves as our best
source of local information about the disease.
University and Personal Travel To SARS-Affected Areas
Rutgers students, faculty, and staff members planning
university-related or personal international travel should pay close
attention to the current travel advisories and alerts issued by the
State Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and
the World Health Organization. These can be viewed via the above
website. Consistent with the advice from these agencies, the
University is strongly recommending that members of the Rutgers
community delay any non-essential travel to countries for which
SARS-related advisories have been issued, and seriously consider
whether to change their plans to travel to countries with alert
status. Country travel status changes regularly, so please consult
the most up-to-date lists before making final decisions. Rutgers
academic programs in China have suspended the on-site participation of
Rutgers faculty members, and the Rutgers Study Abroad Program in
Nanjing has been suspended. Those with grants or other contractual
obligations to conduct research in SARS-affected areas are encouraged
to contact their granting agencies directly to see whether extensions
will be considered. Those unable to delay travel or choosing to
travel against advisory recommendations to SARS-affected areas should
be advised that access to medical care and medical evacuation, as well
as travel within and out of SARS-affected areas, has become extremely
restricted. Travelers to SARS-affected areas are strongly encouraged
to consult with their own health care providers or Rutgers University
Health Services personnel before traveling in order to be informed
about the latest preventive practices and precautions, and to
determine if there are any individual factors that place them at
higher risk for contracting SARS.
Entering or Re-entering the Rutgers Community From SARS-Affected Areas
The health and safety of the Rutgers community is of
paramount
importance. SARS is a severe infectious disease, and the university
takes very seriously its responsibility to safeguard its campuses from
potential health risks. At present, SARS is an extremely rare
disease
in the United States and New Jersey. Among probable cases of SARS in
the U.S., there has been no documentation of contracting the disease
or transmitting it through casual contact; all known U.S. cases have
been among travelers and those who have come into close and ongoing
contact with SARS patients. At this time Rutgers policy regarding
persons traveling from SARS-affected areas to Rutgers campuses is
consistent with CDC guidelines and recommendations, and calls for
monitoring of health for ten days after arrival in the U.S. from a
SARS-affected area or after direct contact with a diagnosed SARS
patient. The CDC has expressly indicated that there is no need to
isolate or restrict the activities of individuals who may have been
exposed to SARS unless they develop fever or respiratory symptoms.
While isolation in the absence of SARS-related symptoms is
not
being recommended at present, the university will monitor carefully
the flow of international travelers with potential health risks onto
our campuses. Therefore, the following procedures are being
implemented. While they may cause some slight inconvenience for
certain of our members and visitors, the health and safety of the
larger Rutgers community demands our vigilance and cooperation.
Specifically:
* All new and returning Rutgers faculty, students and staff members
who have traveled from or through any of the countries on the current
CDC and other published advisory or alert lists, or who may have been
exposed to SARS through other means, are required to contact the
appropriate Rutgers Health Services Center, listed below, within 24
hours of arriving on campus. Individuals will receive from Health
Services current information about symptoms and precautions, a
thermometer if they need one, and instructions about what to do if
symptoms appear.
* All department chairs, program directors, admissions officers,
conference and event organizers, and other faculty and staff with
pertinent information about faculty, students and others arriving on
Rutgers campuses from SARS-affected areas are required to (1) notify
the appropriate Rutgers Health Services Center, listed below, of the
names and contact information for these individuals, and (2) notify
known individuals arriving from SARS-affected areas, in advance if
possible, that they are required to contact the appropriate Rutgers
Health Services Center within 24 hours of arriving on campus.
* Visitors to Rutgers who have traveled from a SARS-affected area
within the past ten days are also required to contact the appropriate
Rutgers Health Services Center within 24 hours of arriving on campus.
Individuals will receive from Health Services current information
about symptoms and precautions, a thermometer if they need one, and
instructions about what to do if symptoms appear. The university
strongly encourages anyone with a fever or flu-like symptoms,
particularly if there is any reason to suspect exposure to SARS, to
cancel or delay their visit to Rutgers University.
* If you develop fever OR respiratory symptoms and you have traveled
to a SARS-affected area or have been exposed to someone infected with
SARS, you should not go to school or work, but should stay home; you
should notify your health-care provider and school officials
immediately; you should use infection control precautions in the home
to minimize the risk for transmission, and continue to measure
temperature twice daily. When you call your health-care providers
inform them that you may have been exposed to SARS so arrangements can
be made, as necessary, to prevent transmission to others in the
health-care setting.
If you are not sure whether you need to contact Rutgers
University
Health Services, please call the appropriate Health Services Center
and seek clarification. In the event that an individual on one of
our
campuses with possible exposure to SARS does develop symptoms within
the ten-day period, be assured that Rutgers University Health Services
has plans in place to make arrangements for appropriate isolation and
medical monitoring.
Rutgers-Camden faculty, students, staff, and visitors to the Camden
campus should contact:
CAMDEN STUDENT HEALTH CENTER - (856) 225-6005
326 Penn Street, Camden, NJ 08102 -- (2nd Floor, Student Center)
Clinic Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday, until 7:00 p.m.
on Mondays during the academic year.
Rutgers-Newark faculty, students, staff and visitors to the Newark
campus should contact:
NEWARK HEALTH CENTER - (973) 353-5231 x 2
249 University Avenue
Newark, NJ 07102
(Student Services Building, Blumenthal Hall)
Clinic Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday
Walk-in Hours: 12:00p.m. - 1:30p.m., Monday - Friday
Rutgers-New Brunswick students, as well as those with information
about students arriving on the New Brunswick campus should contact:
HURTADO HEALTH CENTER - (732) 932-7402
11 Bishop Place, New Brunswick, NJ 08903
(College Avenue Campus, near the quads)
Clinic Hours:
During Academic Year:
8:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., Monday - Friday (5:00 -
8:00 p.m.
mainly for urgent care, very limited
non-urgent appointments)
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Saturday & Sunday
(Urgent care only)
Spring Break and Summer Session:
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday
Closed evenings and weekends.
Rutgers-New Brunswick faculty and staff, as well as those with
information about faculty/staff visitors to the New Brunswick campus
should contact:
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH - (732) 932-8254 x 221
At Hurtado Health Center (see address above)
Clinic hours: 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Monday - Friday
Over the course of the summer we will continue to monitor
events
and make revisions to our instructions and recommendations if needed.
This policy remains in place until further notice. Depending on how
SARS evolves internationally and in the U.S., a more or less stringent
policy could be put in place at any time. Please visit the website
frequently for updates and modified advisories and precautions,
particularly if you are planning to travel to or from SARS-affected
areas. Working together, we can help ensure that our community
remains a healthy and safe environment.
Sincerely,
Joseph J. Seneca
Last Modified 12/22/2005