“Since Monday afternoon, University Health Service has learned that one ill student’s test has been positive for norovirus, which is almost undoubtedly the cause of the sudden-onset nausea, vomiting and diarrhea among students,” the statement from UHS reads.
UHS began alerting the campus community on Saturday with an email from Ralph A. Manchester, MD, vice provost and director of UHS. The email stated that within 48 hours UHS had become aware of about 20 cases of students with norovirus-like symptoms.
UHS has temporarily called for the suspension of campus dining services, though they assert this action is not an indication that the food is the source of the outbreak. The university is also implementing a comprehensive surface sanitizing protocol and is encouraging conference call meetings as an alternative to face-to-face interactions.
This recent report of potential infections adds to a series of university norovirus outbreaks since February, including hundreds of cases at Miami University of Ohio in Oxford, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa. Most recently, health officials at Oregon State University in Corvallis and the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis reported dozens of cases respectively.
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