How USD is Responding
https://www.sandiego.edu/alert/
The University of San Diego currently has no sponsored programs in the three West African countries with the highest concentrations of Ebola cases: Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mali and Guinea. All USD campus community members are encouraged to abide by CDC travel sanctions and avoid non-essential travel to these countries.
Although the risk is low for an Ebola case at the University of San Diego, our senior campus administrators have been in discussions with local and state public health officials to prepare for a potential case locally, including:
- Continual monitoring of CDC advisories and the American College Health Association on the Ebola outbreak
- Frequent collaboration with pertinent campus groups and with the Office of the President
- Advising our community members traveling to and from areas flagged by the CDC
- Monitoring and evaluating returning travelers who may be at risk
Our Student Health Center maintains an active and ongoing infection prevention and control program, based on protocols and best practices recommended by the CDC and the World Health Organization. The Center has implemented new screening steps when patients schedule and arrive for their appointments. The staff has received training for managing patients who present with symptoms of Ebola.
In the spirit of preparedness, our Sensitive Issues Team (SIT) including members from our Student Health Center and our Department of Public Safety will be conducting simulations in the coming weeks to test our pandemic response plan based on an Ebola scenario.