January 23, 2013

Rise in Cases of Gastroenteritis Reported on University Campus

A surge of stomach flu cases at Princeton University appears to be confined to the campus. While some cases of gastroenteritis have cropped up at public and private schools in the area, none are reporting the kind of outbreak being experienced at the University, where some 51 cases have been registered since January 8.

“We’re up to about three people a day visiting the infirmary with symptoms,” said spokesman Daniel Day, the University’s director of news and editorial services. “But relative to last year, it is not as intense.”

Last year, the University reported at least 288 students with the intestinal illness including 80 who got sick the week of February 10-16. That was the largest outbreak of the virus in 10 years, and the campus infirmary had to send sick students to the University Medical Center at Princeton when it ran out of beds.

A Campus Health Advisory from University Health Services was issued last Friday to undergraduate students. According to The Daily Princetonian, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services confirmed that samples taken from some cases tested positive for norovirus, which is the most common cause of gastroenteritis. Students were emailed about the presence of the virus and given advice on how best to avoid it.

Calls to area public and private schools confirmed that the increase in cases is confined, for the most part, to the Princeton University campus. “We’ve had normal absences for this time of year, with no outbreak,” said Lew Goldstein, the assistant superintendent of Princeton Regional Schools. “We’re dealing with flu and stomach flu symptoms here and there, but so far nothing of a major concern.”

Westminster Choir College of Rider University is currently on a break, eliminating concerns about the virus. Spokespersons for private institutions including Stuart Country Day School, Princeton Day School, The Lawrenceville School, and The Hun School said cases of the virus are isolated.

“We don’t have any kind of an outbreak, but I think the school is probably being affected much like other schools in the area,” said Kathryn Rosko, communications director at Princeton Day School. “Some people are out with the flu, some with the stomach bug. But of course we’re encouraging people to wash their hands and to stay home if they feel ill.”

Symptoms of norovirus, which is common in confined spaces such as dormitories and cruise ships, include nausea, vomiting, intestinal distress, and lethargy. It is transmitted through contaminated food or water and person-to-person contact.

February 29, 2012

Number of Norovirus Cases Decreasing, But Officials Urge Continued Caution

The recent norovirus outbreak on local college campuses appears to be winding down, but it may not be over yet. Public health officials note that an outbreak may take several weeks to wane and that the numbers of cases will fluctuate from week to week.

“We continue to work closely with the State Health Department, Mercer County Division of Health, Princeton University, and Rider University (Westminster Choir College),” said Princeton Health Officer David Henry. “In addition, my two inspectors have been advising retail food establishments of the importance of keeping food handlers home if they have diarrhea or vomiting, and urging employees to wash their hands frequently with soap and water. Hand sanitizer has little or no effect on the norovirus. We are also in close contact with local schools (public and private).”

“The cases being seen at the health center have declined and they are now very close to the average number that are usually seen at this time of the year,” said Princeton University spokesperson Martin A. Mbugua. Since January 29 [through Monday, February 27], he said, about 269 students with symptoms of gastroenteritis have been seen at the McCosh Health Center.

Mr. Henry confirmed the University’s account. “Within the past five days, the number of students seen at McCosh Health Center with GI symptoms has dropped to three to five students a day. Last Thursday, they only saw two students. Their baseline number for students with gastrointestinal symptoms averaged two a day in February 2011, so they are currently approaching baseline numbers for gastrointestinal symptoms.”

Only two additional cases of norovirus were reported over this last weekend at Rider, where the total number among students on both campuses [Lawrenceville and Westminster Choir College, in Princeton] as of February 27 was 219, according to a Rider update released at the beginning of this week.

The College of New Jersey was less specific. A recent article in the school’s paper, The Signal, reported that while “some students have been experiencing norovirus-like symptoms,” an accurate determination could not be made because “all of the students” who reported symptoms declined to have a stool test. “Without a stool test, Health Services can only identify these students as having a gastrointestinal illness,” rather than actually having norovirus, the article noted.

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey with campuses in Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick, appears to be relatively unaffected so far. “The university has received only a small group of students with positive flu tests at the health services,” reported Executive Director Melodee Lasky. “When compared with previous years, the number is lower than expected.” Outside the state, however, new cases have been reported at George Washington (85 cases) and Howard Universities, both in Washington, D.C.

At the local elementary-high school level, the norovirus alert that recently appeared on the Princeton Regional School District’s website remains on the front page, albeit further down. Princeton Country Day School’s website simply has a cautionary “message from Nurse Carol” providing a link to the Centers for Disease Control site describing how “to keep your family healthy.”

Although the label “stomach flu” is often used for noroviruses, the viruses are unrelated to the micro-organisms that cause seasonal influenza or other influenza, including the 2009 H1N1 flu (so-called swine flu). One in 15 Americans every year are reportedly affected by norovirus, which causes sudden vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps that continue for 24 to 48 hours.

In response to the outbreak at Rider University, the makers of Lysol say that they are donating 200 cases of disinfectant spray and disinfecting wipes — 2,400 products in total — to the Rider Student Health Services department for widespread campus distribution.


February 15, 2012

Cases of Norovirus Appear to be Decreasing on Princeton and Rider Campuses

A recent outbreak of what appears to be norovirus, a gastrointestinal flu, is keeping Princeton and Rider University cleaning crews busy.

“Since January 29, we have seen a total of about 140 students with symptoms of gastroenteritis,” reported Princeton University Spokesperson Martin A. Mbugua at the beginning of the week. “The University has taken a number of measures to try to contain the spread of illness, including increased cleaning of bathroom facilities, and alerting members of the campus community through health advisories about the cases of illness and the need to take appropriate hygiene precautions to limit the spread.”

“The number of reported cases of norovirus among students continues to decline,” reported a Monday update from Rider University, where over 100 cases were originally reported. “We have had a total of 11 reported cases from Sunday morning, February 12, through Monday February 13 at 2 p.m. None of these were sent to the hospital.”

Apparently in response to suggestions that Rider should have been more aggressive in reacting to the outbreak, the update noted that local, county, and state public health officials “supported Rider’s decision to hold classes and events as scheduled.”

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes norovirus as a “highly contagious” viral infection that may be called by other names, including viral gastroenteritis, stomach flu, and food poisoning. The CDC notes that there is no vaccine to prevent the infection and there is no specific drug to treat people who are experiencing the diarrhea, vomiting, and/or stomach pain associated with the illness. “Most people get better within one to two days,” the CDC reports, although “dehydration can be a problem among some people, especially the very young, the elderly, and people with other illnesses.”

While there is no specific treatment for norovirus, adults infected with it may want to use an over-the-counter anti-diarrhea medicine. These are not recommended for children and babies. Everyone, however, is encouraged to drink water to prevent dehydration.

The infection, which is often associated with cruise ships, is believed to be spread by eating or drinking contaminated liquids; touching surfaces or objects that carry the virus, and then placing the hand in the mouth; and by sharing food, drinks, or eating utensils with an infected person. Hand-washing and, when soap and water are not available, the liberal use of hand sanitizers, appear to be the order of the day. By Monday, bottles of Purell had been placed on service desks all around the Princeton Public Library.

So far, so good: the outbreak appears to be limited to the Princeton and Rider campuses. “I can’t say we’ve that seen any cases,” said Pediatric Group doctor John Cotton. At Princeton Regional School (PRS) District offices, Cyd Trumbo said that they too had not had any reported cases of stomach flu, although a new link (“What is Norovirus?”) was added to the PRS website over the weekend.

“Knock on wood we have not been hit hard yet,” reported Princeton Senior Resource Center Director Susan Hoskins. “Hopefully people know to stay home when they feel ill. We have hand sanitizer available throughout the building and encourage people to use good public health prevention practices.”

Other advice for those who are anxious about contracting norovirus includes carefully washing fruits and vegetables, and thoroughly cooking oysters and other shellfish. Those who are already infected should not be involved in any food preparation. Both Princeton and Rider reported that dormitories and other buildings were undergoing careful cleaning and that food services were on alert.

The outbreak was not completely unexpected, according to Mr. Mbugua. “University Health Services plans for an increase in volume every February, since that is frequently a time when utilization of our services increases, so we have adequate resources to handle the number of students that we have been seeing,” he reported.