Message about the H1N1 Flu virus to study abroad students and parents:

The Georgetown University Emergency Response Team and the Office of International Programs are closely monitoring the situation under the guidance of Georgetown Medical Center experts who are tracking the outbreak internationally and providing the team with real time information. We are also receiving regular updates from a wide range of sources, monitoring reports from the Centers for Disease Control as well as the World Health Organization, and continually assessing the situation at each program location. To follow Georgetown University's response to the H1N1 flu and to find related links, please go to: http://preparedness.georgetown.edu/h1n1.html

As all members of the Georgetown University community have been instructed, the most important measures to take to avoid the flu include:

• washing hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze; using alcohol-based hand sanitizer is an appropriate alternative;
• covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, and immediately throwing the tissue away in a proper receptacle. As an alternative, cough or sneeze into the inside of the elbow.

Students on study abroad programs are asked to contact their onsite contacts as well as their study abroad advisor should they experience flu-like symptoms. At this time, we continue to monitor how the flu outbreak could impact our study abroad programs. We will keep you informed of our plans to address this issue as it develops.