NCSSM Travel Policy (Revised: September 9, 2011)

Summary and Countries with Restricted Travel

NCSSM Travel Policy Summary and Countries with Restricted Travel

Principal Points of NCSSM Travel Policy and Travel Procedures

NCSSM strives to maximize safety on any international travel to or from the campus. The full NCSSM Travel Policy was approved by the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees on January 11, 2007. Principal points of that policy are included below.

Travel safety may be affected by medical conditions, terrorism, civil unrest and declared or undeclared war.

Taking into account information from various federal agencies, the Vice Chancellor for Academic Programs issues a List of Countries with Restricted Travel, and procedures for minimizing risk to the NCSSM community and individuals due to these concerns. NCSSM Community members who are planning travel to a country on this list must notify the Vice Chancellor for Academic Programs prior to their travel to obtain instructions and/or restrictions on return to campus. With regard to health-related restrictions, requirements for re-entry to NCSSM may include self-quarantine for up to 14 day and certification by a health care practitioner that the person is disease-free, as well as other measures. These same requirements apply to members of the NCSSM Community who know they will be exposed to family members or others who have travelled to or from a country on the List of Countries with Restricted Travel.
Regardless of whether the Vice Chancellor for Academic Programs has issued travel bans or restrictions for a country or specific area, NCSSM students, faculty, other staff or program participants who are planning or participating in travel to a foreign country also have an obligation. If they learn of a medical situation such as a viral outbreak or other hazardous situation, they must immediately notify the Vice Chancellor for Academic Programs to obtain instructions and/or restrictions on return to campus. With regard to health-related restrictions, requirements for re-entry to NCSSM may include self-quarantine for up to 14 days and certification by a health care practitioner that the person is disease-free, as well as other measures. These same requirements apply to members of the NCSSM Community who learn that they have been exposed to family members or others who have travelled to or from a country on the List of Countries with Restricted Travel.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend any travel restrictions to countries with known H5N1 (avian) influenza outbreaks in animals at this time. However, the CDC does advise travelers to countries with known outbreaks of H5N1 influenza to avoid poultry farms, contact with animals in live food markets and any surfaces that appear to be contaminated with feces from poultry or other animals. In an effort to ensure the health and safety of the NCSSM community, the School requires that no NCSSM Community member travel to poultry farms in avian influenza-affected countries, primarily Southeastern Asian countries. Any NCSSM Community member who has contact with animals in live food markets and any surfaces that appear to be contaminated with feces from poultry or other animals must immediately notify the Vice Chancellor for Academic Programs to obtain instructions and/or restrictions on return to campus.
These procedures are disseminated in students’ enrollment and orientation packets, a link from At-a-Glance, handbooks, and communications to parents and new employees. The list of restricted countries, which is periodically updated in response to information on websites including those of the U.S. State Department, World Health Organization, and World Organization for Animal Health, is found at the end of this document.
These restrictions are also applied to travel by international students or other individuals to NCSSM.

Additional Information about Pandemic Flu

An influenza pandemic is a large-scale epidemic of a contagious human flu that causes a global outbreak, or pandemic, or serious illness. Because there is little natural immunity, the disease can spread easily from person to person. Though currently there is no pandemic flu, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that in the next few years there is a substantial risk of one, the magnitude and seriousness of which cannot be known. The public health threat of a pandemic arising from novel influenza subtypes such as influenza A virus (H5N1) will be greatly increased if the virus gains the ability to spread easily from one human to another.

The following precautions are recommended for all international travelers.

Before you travel:

Be sure you are up to date with all your routine vaccinations (i.e. tetanus/diphtheria, polio, measles/mumps/rubella, and seasonal influenza vaccine if it is available), and see your doctor or healthcare provider to get any additional vaccinations, medications or information you may need.
Assemble a travel health kit containing basic first aid and medical supplies.
Visit the CDC’s Traveler’s Health Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel to educate yourself and others who may be traveling with you about any disease risks and CDC health recommendations for international travel in the areas you plan to visit.
Learn about medical services your health insurance will cover overseas, as well as any policy exclusions.
Identify healthcare resources in the country(ies) you will be visiting and resources for emergency medical evaluation, especially if your travel will be long-term or if you have any underlying medical condition.
Travel Health Online https://www.tripprep.com/scripts/main/default.asp and the International Society of Travel Medicine http://www.istm.org/ provide lists of travel medicine from healthcare providers around the world.
A list of travel insurance and medical evacuation companies is available on the U.S. Department of State web site http://travel.state.gov/travel/.

During your travel:

Avoid places where live birds, such as chickens, are raised or kept.
Wash your hands often with soap and water to prevent disease transmission. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-base hand gel (containing at least 60 percent alcohol).
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and encourage others to do the same.

If you become sick while in an area reporting avian flu:

If you become sick with symptoms such as a fever accompanied by a cough, sore throat or difficulty breathing, or if you develop any illness that requires prompt medical attention, a U.S. consular officer can assist you in locating medical services and informing your family or friends.
Wear a mask if you are sick.
Before you visit the doctor or clinic, inform your healthcare provider of any possible exposures to avian influenza.
Do not travel if you are sick except to seek local medical care.

After your return

Monitor your health for 10 days.
If you become ill with a fever plus cough, sore throat, or trouble breathing during this 10-day period, consult a healthcare provider. Before you visit a healthcare setting, tell the provider the following: 1) Your symptoms, 2) Where you traveled, and 3) If you have had any direct contact with poultry or close contact with a severely ill person. This way, he or she can be aware that you have traveled to an area reporting avian flu.
Do not travel while ill, unless you are seeking medical care.
Self-quarantine if you are ill. Limiting contact with others as much as possible can help prevent the spread of an infectious illness.

Countries with Restricted Travel and Basis for Restriction

(1) No NCSSM school-sponsored trips to these countries will be approved.

(2) Students, faculty and other staff returning from nonschool-sponsored trips to these countries need to self-quarantine for 14 days. (As of September 8, 2011, no countries are so designated.)

Afghanistan: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Algeria: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Bangladesh: Human cases of avian influenza confirmed by the World Health Organization (1)

Burkina Faso: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Burundi : U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Cambodia: Human cases of avian influenza confirmed by the World Health Organization (1)

Central African Republic: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Chad: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Columbia: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Cote d’Ivoire: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Cuba: U.S. Trade Embargo legislation prevents travel by U.S. citizens (1)

Egypt: Human cases of avian influenza confirmed by the World Health Organization (1)

Eritrea: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Haiti: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Indonesia: Human cases of avian influenza confirmed by the World Health Organization (1)

Iran: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Iraq: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Israel, the West Bank and Gaza: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Kenya: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Lebanon: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Lybia: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Madagascar: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Mauritania: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Mexico: U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends that people out off unnecessary travel due to “swine flu” outbreak (1)

Nepal: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Niger: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Nigeria: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Pakistan: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Philippines: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Republic of South Sudan: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Saudi Arabia: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Somalia: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Sudan: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Syria: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Uzbekistan: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

Viet Nam: Human cases of avian influenza confirmed by the World Health Organization (1)

Yemen: U.S. Department of State advises against travel (1)

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