To the Emory community:

As everyone is undoubtedly aware, there is an understandable concern within the Emory community and elsewhere about this new disease. Because the safety and well-being of our faculty and staff is a top priority, we have issued this advisory to provide general information about SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and about Emory’s approach to dealing with it.

Faculty and staff traveling from those areas identified by the CDC or World Health Organi-zation as SARS-affected (which currently include mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam and Toronto, Canada) who have a fever or respiratory symptoms within 14 days prior to their scheduled departure will be asked to delay travel and seek a medical evaluation before returning to the United States.

Faculty and staff who have reason to believe they may have been exposed to SARS (for example, have been in the physical presence of friends or relatives who were ill or have visited a place where there were SARS cases) within the previous 14 days and/or have developed SARS symptoms are urged to seek medical attention immediately, and should call either their personal physicians or the Emory Hospital Emergency Department at 404-712-7100

Please inform the operator or receptionist that you are a faculty or staff member who may be ill with SARS, and ask to speak with the attending or on-call physician. Follow that physician’s instructions carefully, as there are specific procedures for evaluating and treating SARS patients.

It is extremely important to note that patients with potential SARS should NOT simply present themselves to the emergency room for care. The attending or on-call physician will make arrangements for your transfer to a health care facility for evaluation and treatment in a way that protects your health and the health of other faculty, students, patients and staff.

For further information, please see the SARS Information Update page on the Emory website: www.emory.edu/WWW/SARS-statement.html.

Woody Hunter
Interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs

Michael Johns
Executive vice president for health affairs and director of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center