The International Travel Oversight Committee (ITOC) recommends that, effective immediately, Duke graduate students, faculty, and staff avoid all non-essential travel to Mexico until the extent of the public health threat posed by the H1N1 influenza outbreak becomes clearer. Earlier this week, ITOC placed Mexico on the Restricted Regions List and prohibited undergraduates from traveling there on Duke programs or with Duke funding. While there is some indication that the influenza outbreak in Mexico may be waning, ITOC nonetheless urges caution in planning travel to that country.
At this point, the ITOC recommendation is advisory and not an outright prohibition on travel to Mexico by Duke graduate students, faculty, and staff using funding from Duke accounts. If you deem it absolutely necessary to travel to Mexico under the current conditions, please know that under the already existing terms of Duke's international travel policy, graduate students using University funds may do so only if they log their travel plans on the Travel Registry and sign a waiver form acknowledging Duke's recommendation and taking full responsibility for their decision to travel. Under that same policy, faculty and staff are not required to sign a waiver but are urged to register their travel plans to facilitate assistance if needed. ITOC will continue to monitor the situation and reassess Duke policy as events warrant.
ITOC urges that anyone traveling to Mexico follow public health guidelines and take reasonable precautions such as frequent washing of hands, carrying hand sanitizer lotion, minimizing physical contact with surfaces that are likely to be contaminated, staying away from persons with influenza symptoms such as fever, coughing, and sneezing, and avoiding large crowds. Any person who develops such symptoms in Mexico or after returning should immediately seek assistance and avoid social contacts. Students should contact the Student Health Center; faculty and staff should stay at home and seek medical care as needed from their primary care physician or an Urgent Care Clinic.
More information on precautions and symptoms is available on the web site of the Centers for Disease Control at: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/swineflu_you.htm. In addition, please visit www.duke.edu/flu2009 for the latest news and information about Duke's policies.