The Beijing Internship Program in China has been reinstated with a typical number of students this fall after being cut short last year due to the SARS outbreak in the region.

Because of severe health concerns and travel alerts issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Boston University International Programs officials made the decision to temporarily discontinue the Beijing abroad program last year in conjunction with CET Academic Programs.

‘The safety and security of our students are our primary concerns in all programming decisions,’ said Debra Terzian, associate director of Modern Foreign Language and Summer Programs.

However, despite these circumstances, there has been no noticeable negative impact on interest in the China program or other international programs because of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

‘Usually, between five and 12 students enroll in the program each semester, and overall enrollments in international programs continue to increase,’ said Urbain DeWinter, associate provost for the Office of International Education.

During the first months in the Beijing Internship Program, students take a course covering Chinese daily life, and then take other courses including ‘Modern China,’ ‘Professional Chinese’ and an advanced Chinese language course. Trips to various areas of China also increase the abroad experience. Toward the end of students’ time in Beijing, an internship helps combine language skills with work experience.

SARS began in the Guangdong province of southeast China in February of 2003. Symptoms of the disease include high fever usually over 100 degrees pneumonia, diarrhea, headaches and a dry cough. Transmission occurs through respiratory droplets and close personal contact, such as coughing, kissing or sneezing, so the virus quickly spread to countries throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas.

Although all countries have now been removed from the SARS travel advisory list, BU is retaining its SARS policy in case any countries are again put on a travel advisory or alert warning.

‘The Boston University SARS policy will remain in effect so that in the event that countries are added back to the travel advisory list, the 10-day waiting period will again become effective immediately upon notice by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,’ Student Health Services Director Julius Taylor said in a letter on the department’s website.

On July 5, the World Health Organization reported that the last SARS case had been identified, and therefore, broke the chain of transmission. The CDC reported that 8,437 people contracted SARS during the course of the outbreak, and 813 died. No one died from the disease in the United States.

All travel alerts to Beijing were stopped on July 11, implying that the area is again safe for travel. Students have already resumed study in the area; the fall semester began July 22 and will continue until Dec. 15. The spring semester program will run from Dec. 30 until May 24, 2004.

While College of Arts and Sciences freshman Joe Goncalves does not plan to participate, he said SARS would not affect where he might travel.

‘I wouldn’t be afraid to travel to China now, because the travel alerts are over, and health organizations are very cautious now about SARS,’ he said.