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UB manages SARS concerns
By SUE WUETCHER
Reporter Editor
Some UB students have cancelled or cut short trips to China amid concerns about Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS.
The annual trip to China by members of the Executive MBA program, which was supposed to take place April 4-12, was cancelled on March 30.
Moreover, five of 10 medical students in China for a program at Beijing Medical University have opted to return to UB due to fears of contracting SARS, the virulent form of pneumonia.
Closer to home, UB's proximity to Canada and the Province of Ontario, where there have been numerous SARS deaths to date, also has prompted concerns on campus, with university officials fielding calls from parents worried that their children are putting themselves in harm's way by traveling to Toronto, a popular weekend destination for UB faculty, staff and students. Some faculty members also have expressed concerns about traveling in Canada, UB health administrators say.
University officials stress that there have been no cases of SARS on campus, and that at this time there are no travel restrictions to any areas of the U.S. or Canada.
As of press time, SARS has infected more than 2,600 people worldwide and killed at least 106, most of them in mainland China and Hong Kong. Canadian officials have reported 232 suspected cases of SARS, with 10 deaths attributed to the disease. Other deaths have been reported in Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia.
UB has a total of 14 students studying in Beijing this semester, according to Stephen Dunnett, vice provost for international education. The 10 medical students were accompanied to China for the month-long program at Beijing Medical University by Richard V. Lee, professor of medicine and a specialist in infectious diseases. UB has suspended the clinical part of the program, and the five students who decided to remain in Beijing will not be going into hospitals or clinics, Dunnett says.
The four other students in China have been studying Chinese language and culture since September at Beijing Capital Normal University—a UB exchange partner. All of those students have decided to remain in Beijing.
Dunnett notes that the Office of International Education has remained in constant email contact with those students remaining in China, and sends them updates on SARS provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The office also has advised them against going into hospitals or clinics, or traveling to the south of China, he says.
The decision to cancel the eight-day trip to China for the EMBA students was based on "what we were hearing from peer EMBA programs, what the students' companies were saying about corporate travel and what we were learning from medical professionals about how SARS might or might not develop," says Courtney J. Walsh, assistant dean for executive education for the School of Management. The students will have the option of joining next year's EMBA class on its trip to China, although they will complete the academic components to graduate this year, Walsh says.
She notes that the EMBA class met all day Monday through yesterday in the Jacobs Executive Development Center to go through cases and hear presentations on doing business in China. The session ended with a China-themed party yesterday afternoon, she adds.
University officials say they are taking many steps to keep the university community informed about SARS. A "SARS Information" item has been placed on the "Need to Know" portion of students' MyUB portal, and a notice with a link to the World Health Organization's alert on SARS http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/faq.htm has been placed on the Announcements portion of both the general Student Affairs Web site and the Health Services Web site. The notice advises those with questions or concerns about SARS to contact Health Services at 829-3316.
Other steps include:
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Keeping in close contact with the Erie County Health Department
Contacting all students who have visited the university's Travel Clinic recently with the intention of traveling to Asia
Placing a notice on the International Student Listserv directing international students to appropriate resources.