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Safety & Health
The safety of our students abroad is AU's first priority. AU Abroad only administers programs that we deem safe. With the well-being of our students in mind, AU Abroad operates academically challenging programs where students learn from close integration with their host cultures.
AU Abroad performs regular risk-assessment reviews of every program we administer. In regular daily activities, our sites know how to contact students locally or when they travel; at each site, students are given 24-hour emergency contact numbers and are informed of emergency procedures. When students travel independently, we ask they keep on-site staff aware of their plans. AU Abroad will modify or cancel planned field trips or other activities when necessary to ensure student safety. Before students leave the US, they receive a general safety orientation. Once on site, students receive more detailed instructions from local professionals. AU Abroad is in regular communication with our site Directors and Coordinators regarding the situation at each program site.
You may find more safety information on our website
and through the links below. With over twenty years
of excellence and experience in the field, we are committed
to administering safe programs abroad. Should you have
any questions about AU Abroad safety or other details,
we invite you to get in touch with us. Call AU Abroad
Director Dr. Sara Dumont at (202) 885-1321 or AU Public
Safety Emergency number 24 hours a day/7 days a week
at (202) 885-3636. Thank you for your interest in our
program.
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Study Abroad and Avian Influenza
AU Abroad is continuously monitoring the worldwide situation regarding avian influenza. At present, there is no reason for serious concern at any of our sites, nor are there any reasons for us to cancel or curtail any of our study abroad offerings. The Department of State, the CDC and the WHO have not issued any travel alerts or warnings for avian flu-infected areas. However, they advise travelers to countries with documented avian flu outbreaks to take certain precautions. Students traveling to or living in countries where avian influenza is present should consider the potential risks and keep informed of the latest medical guidance and information in order to make appropriate plans
Take Charge of Your Plans
- Monitor the CDC and the WHO web sites for the latest information.
- Before you go abroad, be sure you are up to date with all your routine vaccinations, and see your doctor or health-care provider, ideally 4–6 weeks before travel, to get any additional vaccination medications or information you may need.
- Assemble a travel health kit containing basic first aid and medical supplies. Be sure to include a thermometer and alcohol-based hand gel for hand hygiene. Identify in-country health-care resources in advance of your trip.
- Ensure that you have a health insurance plan that covers medical evacuation in case you become sick.
- Avoid all direct contact with poultry, including touching well-appearing, sick, or dead chickens and ducks. Avoid places such as poultry farms and bird markets where live poultry are raised or kept, and avoid handling surfaces contaminated with poultry feces or secretions.
- As with other infectious illnesses, one of the most important preventive practices is careful and frequent hand-washing. Cleaning your hands often with soap and water removes potentially infectious material from your skin and helps prevent disease transmission. Waterless alcohol-based hand gels may be used when soap is not available and hands are not visibly soiled.
- Influenza viruses are destroyed by heat; therefore, as a precaution, all foods from poultry, including eggs, should be thoroughly cooked.
- If you become sick with symptoms such as a fever accompanied by a cough, sore throat, or difficulty breathing or if you develop any illness that requires prompt medical attention, inform your health-care provider of any possible exposures to avian influenza. You should defer further travel until you are free of symptoms, unless traveling locally for medical care.
Specific CDC travel information relating to avian influenza, including preventive measures, is available at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/index.htm.
WHO guidance related to avian influenza is available at http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/.
Additional, general country information can be obtained from the Department of State's Consular Information Sheets at http://travel.state.gov and from the Department of State's toll-free number, 1-888-407-4747, or if calling from overseas, 202-501-4444.
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Important General Safety Links
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