TO: Faculty and Staff
FROM: The Emergency Warning Committee
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the influenza pandemic alert level from phase 4 to 5. Cases have been reported in 11 countries, including 11 U.S. states. None are confirmed in North Carolina, but state officials were investigating two "probable" cases as of Thursday afternoon and will continue their testing.
Our Department of Environment, Health and Safety (http://ehs.unc.edu/) is leading Carolina's response to this potential public health threat, in collaboration with the UNC Health Care System, UNC General Administration, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and the Orange County Department of Public Health.
Deans, directors, department heads and human resources facilitators today received an updated University pandemic and communicable disease policy, posted at http://hr.unc.edu/Data/SPA/leave/cd. It includes important information about how the swine flu could affect your work at the University. Topics include details about personnel provisions that apply during a public health emergency declared by public health officials that apply to all employees. Please take the time to become familiar with it.
For information about swine flu symptoms and what you can do to prevent it, go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web link, http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you.htm, and consult with your primary-care physician if you have concerns.
Regarding international travel, be aware of the University's travel policy, which covers restrictions for study, travel and research related to University activities in countries under warnings or notices issued by the U.S. State Department or the CDC. The UNC policy is at http://www.unc.edu/campus/policies/Travel%20Warning%20Policy.pdf.
Our Study Abroad Office in the College of Arts and Sciences will continue posting updates about its programs in Mexico and other affected nations at http://studyabroad.unc.edu/studyabroad.cfm.
We'll keep you informed about any new developments. See http://alertcarolina.unc.edu for updates about campus operations. Thanks for your attention to the health and safety of our community.
The Emergency Warning Committee
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