As we continue to welcome all students back to campus this fall, we recognize that many people travel abroad and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa may cause public worry and concern. Although this is a very serious outbreak in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea, and there are cases in Nigeria, the likelihood of acquiring infection in the United States is considered very low. College personnel are closely monitoring the Ebola virus disease outbreak through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOH), and in consultation with the CUNY Infectious Disease Committee.
Based on this guidance, all travelers returning from affected regions within the past three weeks and who are not sick should check their temperature daily for fever for 21 days starting the day after leaving the Ebola-affected area. If a fever and/or other signs or symptoms compatible with EVD (e.g., headache, muscle aches, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, or unexplained bleeding) develops during this observation period, a health provider should be consulted immediately. The CDC has issued Health Travel Warnings for the countries of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone; enhanced precautions for travel to Nigeria; and advises against all nonessential travel.
The Ebola virus can only be contracted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone who is ill with Ebola, or through direct contact with infected animals. Unlike influenza, it cannot be transmitted through airborne exposure.
If you would like to have a discussion about Ebola, please email the Health Center at healthcenter@csi.cuny.edu or call 718.982.3045. Students may also contact the Counseling Center at 718.982.2391 if they have concerns about family members living in the impacted countries.
The College will develop some educational programs that will be made available to the community, perhaps as CLUE events, during the course of the 2014-2015 academic year. Information on such programs will be forthcoming.
