To: Gettysburg College Students Studying Abroad
From: Rebecca Bergren, Office of Off Campus Studies, Gettysburg College
Date: Sept. 7, 2009
Re: Health and Safety Precautions
As you are aware, the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, has been in the news frequently. In June, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6, its highest level, based on the spread of the virus across the globe, not due to the severity of illness caused by the virus.
The H1N1 virus has continued to spread both in the U.S and around the world, and our office continues to monitor the situation with guidance from our program partners around the world. All programs have plans in place to assist students if they become ill based on the advice given by the WHO, the CDC and the US Department of State. That factual information can be found here:
- http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html
- http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu
- http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/health/health_1181.html
While these guidelines are very useful, it is also important to remember that countries and organizations around the world may have different responses to meet the needs of students based on local realities. All programs treat student health as their highest priority and details about health precautions taken by program providers can be found on their websites.
Students studying abroad are reminded to follow the same precautions as students in on campus in Gettysburg. Those recommendations can be found here:
http://www.gettysburg.edu/flu/
As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. We can be reached at 717-337-6866 or by email at ocs@gettysburg.edu
300 North Washington Street · Gettysburg, PA 17325