As a precautionary measure, Penn State has implemented a temporary moratorium on University travel to countries at risk of Ebola spread as identified by the U.S. State Department and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Those countries include: Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria.
The U.S. State Department has issued travel warnings to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. In addition, the CDC has issued a non-essential travel warning to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
“The safety of our Penn State family is our first priority,” said Michael Adewumi, vice provost for Global Programs. “We are monitoring this situation closely and are taking precautionary measures as recommended.”
Penn State’s standard procedure is to follow the recommendations made by the State Department, so any student desiring to travel to these countries would require approval from the University. Any faculty or staff member traveling independently are also encouraged to complete a separate approval process before they travel.
Faculty or staff with questions about this process, should contact Kara Amoratis in Global Programs, via e-mail, at kea15@psu.edu for assistance.
While the Ebola virus poses little risk at this time to the U.S. general population, it has raised questions about travel to and from various regions of the world. Medical personnel in Penn State’s University Health Services are closely following all recommendations from the CDC and the Pennsylvania Department of Health and are continuing to work closely with University and community colleagues to determine risk and ensure the safety of the entire community.
For more information about Penn State’s response to campus concerns about Ebola, visit:
- CDC travel notices: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices
- CDC questions and answers on Ebola:http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/guinea/qa.html
- CDC Ebola site: www.cdc.gov/ebola
- University Health Services Web site: http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/health/myUHS/