Университет Джорджтауна приостановил поездки в зоны вспышки Эболы

Georgetown University suspended university-related travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, two countries at the epicenter of a recent Ebola outbreak, university officials announced May 20. Both countries are currently facing an outbreak of Ebola caused by a rare strand of the virus, known as Bundibugyo, that has no vaccine or known treatment. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak “a public health emergency of international concern” May 17, but its executive director said it would likely not grow to a “global threat.” The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the suspension of nonessential travel to the DRC, which university officials said Georgetown’s measures aligned with. The university also maintained a previous restriction on travel to South Sudan, which has also been impacted by the outbreak. The four university leaders said the suspension will affect students, faculty and staff using university funds or sponsorship to travel to the three countries. “This means that university funds cannot be used to support trips to these areas, nor will the university facilitate or otherwise endorse travel to these areas until further notice,” the officials wrote in an email to community members. “While the risk to our campuses is low at this time, we are actively taking preparedness actions now to protect our community,” they added. A university spokesperson did not specify what ongoing university travel, if any, is impacted by the suspension. Georgetown conducts research in the region, including in Uganda, but it is unclear if any current programs involve travel. The Georgetown University Initiative on Innovation, Development and Evaluation (gui²de), for example, includes research on micro-entrepreneurship support in Uganda and Kenya. The university also lists Uganda as a potential location for the education and social justice summer research fellowship and studying abroad during the undergraduate global health degree program. Experts have warned that the Ebola outbreak could spread internationally, though U.S. health officials stressed that the risk to the American public is low. Health policy leaders have also expressed concern about limited U.S.-led containment measures, which were crucial to limiting previous outbreaks, due to the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign aid spending. In the CDC’s May 18 order, the agency banned non-citizens from entering the country if they have traveled to the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan in the past 21 days. The Department of State also ordered all U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in those countries in the past 21 days to enter through Washington Dulles International Airport for additional screening. The four Georgetown officials — Norman J. Beauchamp Jr., executive vice president for health sciences; Soyica Diggs Colbert (COL ’01), interim provost; David Green, chief operating officer; and Joshua C. Teitelbaum, interim Law Center dean — recommended university community members avoid travel to the region and said the university will follow CDC guidance. “This guidance will remain in effect as long as the CDC maintains the current warnings,” the officials wrote. “If the CDC issues similar travel warnings for new locations, the university may suspend university-related travel to those areas as well. For personal travel, we recommend that Georgetown University community members postpone travel to the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan at this time.”