coronavirus, suny broome update

SUNY Broome is aware that several individuals in New York State have been tested for coronavirus, a newly recognized illness that can cause fever and respiratory symptoms.

Although the SUNY Broome campus appears to be unaffected at this time, we are continuing to monitor this outbreak.

As of Jan. 28, the New York State Department of Health sent samples from 10 individuals to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for testing, including two from Broome County. Seven – including the two Broome County cases – tested negative for the virus. Three cases are still pending, but there are no confirmed cases as of yet in New York.

Anyone in the campus community who has traveled through or to outbreak-affected areas in the past two weeks and who are experiencing fever, cough or shortness of breath should seek treatment, and call ahead to the facility where they will seek care. According to the World Health Organization, human-to-human transmission has been confirmed largely in China’s Wuhan City, but also some other places in China and internationally.

Currently, SUNY is recommending no international travel and to bring any students studying outside the country back home. SUNY is advising no international travel especially near the more heavily infected countries of China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, Italy and the Middle East.

For current information on coronavirus, visit the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html or contact the Broome County Health Department at (607) 778-3930.

We would also like to remind you of a threat closer to home that’s spread in much the same way: influenza. You can reduce your chance of catching or spreading the flu by:

  • Getting your flu shot, if you haven’t already.
  • Washing your hands! Make sure you use soap and water, and scrub for at least 20 seconds.
  • Not touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands, and avoiding close contact with those who are sick.
  • Staying home when you’re sick. If you have the flu, don’t go in public – other than to seek medical care – until your temperature falls under the 100 degree mark for at least 24 hours. If you’re sick, contact your professors to let them know that you are ill.
  • Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, and then throwing the tissue in the trash.
  • Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surface.

SUNY Broome’s Student Health Services are located in Science Building Room 102, and can be contacted at (607) 778-5181 or at healthservices@sunybroome.edu.

Help keep campus virus-free!

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