Ebola virus update
Anna Martin, chair of the Emergency Management Team, sent the following message to the campus community Oct. 7, 2014. - Ed.
Dear William & Mary community:
I am writing to update you on actions underway by the Emergency Management Team to monitor the situation concerning the Ebola Virus. The EMT, working closely with the Reves Center for International Studies, has been identifying, reaching out to, and monitoring the status of travelers to campus that may have traveled through the affected region.
As of the first week of October, we assess the risk of Ebola at W&M to be very low. Nick Vasquez, the university’s International Travel and Security Manager, is working closely with the EMT to monitor the situation, keep abreast of developments, and coordinate information and response plans for the William & Mary community. Additionally, as with any international safety concern, we stay current with the CDC and State Department warnings regarding travel to the affected area and we incorporate those in our monitoring of this issue.
We are not aware of any students or faculty traveling to or from the affected countries and there are no future university-sponsored trips or programs currently planned for these areas. We do have a few international students who are passport holders of the one of the affected countries, but they have not to our knowledge conducted recent travel there.
All travelers with trips to the West Africa region, whether sponsored by William & Mary or not, should check with their department and with Nick Vasquez before their trip. Nick’s contact information is 757-221-1146 or snvasquez@wm.edu.
The CDC recently issued guidance for universities and students that run study abroad or other education-related travel as well as host international students from West Africa (see http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/advice-for-colleges-universities-and-students-about-ebola-in-west-africa). We have reviewed that guidance to ensure that our university practices align with it.
The EMT has also developed a website to provide updated information on current situations involving infectious diseases: http://www.wm.edu/about/administration/emergency/current_issues/index.php
We will update the campus community about Ebola and its potential impact at William & Mary as new information becomes available.
Anna B. Martin