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Interim Guidance for Institutions or Organizations Hosting Persons
Arriving in the United States from Areas with Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS)
To
date, most reported cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
in the United States have been acquired during international travel to
countries where SARS is being transmitted in the community. In this
country, only a small number of suspected or probable cases of SARS
have been detected among exposed health-care personnel and household
contacts of SARS patients. Casual contact with
SARS patients at schools, other institutions, or public gatherings
(e.g., attending the same class or meeting) has not resulted in
documented transmission in the United States.
Thousands of people arrive in the United States from areas where SARS
outbreaks are occurring to participate in gatherings such as academic
courses, business meetings, or sporting events. Guidance is needed to
provide a consistent, rational approach to SARS prevention without
unnecessarily stigmatizing these groups or interfering with collegial
pursuits, commerce, and other important activities.
At this time, CDC does not recommend canceling or postponing classes,
meetings or other gatherings that will include persons traveling to
the United States from areas with SARS.
CDC is working closely with WHO and other partners as part of a global
collaboration to address the SARS outbreak. The following
comprehensive activities are taking place to prevent importation and
spread of SARS from inbound passengers:
-
Stringent outbreak control measures, including isolation of SARS
patients and quarantine of their exposed contacts, in countries with
SARS;
-
Pre-embarkation screening of persons traveling from areas with SARS
to defer travel for those with symptoms or signs of SARS or exposure
to known SARS patients in the past 10 days;
-
Assessment by health authorities of ill persons aboard arriving
flights from an area with SARS to ensure that ill passengers are
isolated and evaluated promptly upon arrival and that appropriate
follow-up of other passengers occurs, as necessary;
-
Distribution of
health alert notices to travelers arriving in the United States
from areas with SARS to notify them of the importance of monitoring
their health closely for a period of 10 days following departure,
and for persons who develop fever or respiratory symptoms, the need
to promptly seek medical evaluation; and
-
Rapid detection and isolation of persons in the United States who
have traveled from an area with SARS and have symptoms compatible
with early suspected SARS within 10 days of arrival.
At this time, CDC does not recommend quarantine of persons arriving
from areas with SARS.
The
following are interim recommendations to assist persons who are
organizing gatherings of students and other persons traveling to the
United States from areas with SARS, including gatherings in academic
settings, business meetings, or sporting events, etc. These
recommendations are based on the experience in the United States to
date and may be revised as more information about the SARS situation
in the United States and globally becomes available.
All participants from affected areas will be given a "Helath Alert
Card" by the airlines telling them to look for symptoms of SARS for
the first days after arrival. To identify those at high risk for SARS;
sample questions that may be useful include:
- In
the past 10 days, have you been in an an area affected by SARS?
- If
so, do you have any of the following symptoms: fever, cough,
difficulty breathing, or shortness of breath?
-
In the past 10 days, have you had close contact with any person
who has been diagnosed with SARS? (Close contact is defined as
caring for or living with someone with SARS, or having direct
contact with infectious material such as respiratory secretions
from a person who has SARS.)
If
organization representatives become aware of a person from an area
with SARS who develops fever or respiratory symptoms, the following
steps should be taken:
-
Exclude the ill person from activities (e.g., classes, meetings, and
other public areas) and locate him/her in a separate area to
minimize contact with other people while awaiting further medical
evaluation.
-
Alert appropriate health-care personnel (i.e., the FIU Health Care
and Wellness Center) that an individual from an area with SARS
requires evaluation, so that advance preparations can be made to
implement infection control procedures to prevent transmission to
others during transport and in the health-care setting.
-
Remind the treating health-care provider to notify the appropriate
state or local health officials if SARS is suspected.
- Work
with local and state public health officials to determine where
patients with SARS (who do not medically require hospitalization)
will be housed until their symptoms resolve. (Persons should be
hospitalized unless they can be housed in a designated residential
facility for isolation of convalescing cases where recommended
infection control measures measures can be followed.)
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