SARS
does not hinder admission
By Akiko Sugimori
On-line Forty-Niner
UC
Berkeley announced last week that 520 new
students from areas affected by Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome — China, Taiwan, Singapore
and Hong Kong — would not be allowed to
attend summer classes.
“We are not prohibiting new students from
Asian countries at this time because of
SARS, but we are aware and are on high alert
for the issue,” said Renee A. Twigg, director
of Student Health Services.
Only 80 students from those countries are
able to enroll in summer school. UCLA and
USC have encouraged students in SARS-infected
areas to come home and have cancelled some
programs. Also the UC system issued a statement
urging its campus officials to “strongly
consider suspending or postponing upcoming
programs” involving such students.
Gloria Kapp, CSULB enrollment service representative
said, “I have never heard of banning incoming
students so far in this university. Probably
these kinds of decisions will be made from
the top of the whole CSU system. But I will
take the responsibility if they order the
enrollment restriction.”
According to Twigg, all staff of Student
Health Services follows up-to-the minute
advice from Center for Disease Control in
evaluating individuals who might be sick
with SARS, in order to abide by public health
laws in the United States.
Health Services also operates in close association
with the Long Beach Health Department and
the state of California. They are planning
to have a meeting with a head infectious
disease doctor of Long Beach health department
and inviting staff from Center of International
Education.
“It is more important to know about SARS
and protection,” Twigg said. “You can avoid
infection by washing hands and wearing masks.
Patients will not spread the virus by covering
their mouth with their hand when they sneeze.”
Interim guidelines from CDC and Health Services
on evaluating patients exposed to SARS suggest
separating out patients into three distinct
groups, if they have been exposed to SARS.
Patients with no fever and no respiratory
symptoms need no particular management.
If
patients have respiratory symptoms but no
fever, they will be isolated for 72 hours.
Isolation is separation of those infected
individuals from uninfected for the period
of communicability. These people may not
go to work, to school, to public meeting
areas. If these patients do not develop
fever, they can discontinue their isolation
precautions after 72 hours.
For
patients with fever and respiratory symptoms,
they are isolated as presumed cases of SARS
until further clinical information is available.
Usually this isolation period lasts for
10 to14 days, depending on how long the
illness lasts.
Shahrohk Sheik, vice president of Associated
Students Inc. and senior international business
major said, “Recently it was announced that
SARS death rate was increased, and things
are getting worse. I would not feel wrong
to ban new students from these infected
areas if needed. It is politically correct,
and it’s our responsibility to protect our
student’s security.”
“There is no SARS case in Long Beach area
yet,” Twigg added. “However we don’t know
the future. Students do not need to be afraid,
but have to be more aware and alert.”
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