Hit by illness
Union College students suffer from parasitic intestinal disease./
As if COVID-19 wasn’t enough, at least 32 students at Union College have come down with giardiasis, a diarrheal illness caused by ingestion of the giardia parasite and often associated with fouled water supplies.
The cases came to light on Oct. 14, with an email from Michele Gibson, Union’s vice president for administration and finance, according to the school’s student newspaper, the Concordiensis.
While giardiasis is considered contagious, some students said they had recently entered local bodies of water that could harbor the microscopic giardia bug.
Union spokesman Phil Wajda said they are continuing to work with the Schenectady County Health Department to find the source of the illness.
County officials couldn’t immediately be reached on Saturday.
College officials also said that some of the students both on campus and off-campus had come down with giardiasis symptoms.
Those symptoms can include nausea, stomach cramps and diarrhea as well as dehydration. Streams, lakes and reservoirs all can harbor giardia, which is one reason that people visiting such water bodies use filters or bring their own water for drinking.
College and health officials have said that
Hans Groot’s Kill, a stream that runs through the campus’ Jackson’s Gardens, as well as Plotterkill Nature Preserve in Rotterdam should be avoided.
The college in a later email said its water supply had been tested and that with chlorine being used there was no bacteria.
Giardia can be found on food or in water that has been contaminated by human or animal feces.
Beaver droppings have frequently been cited as a source, which has led some to call giardiasis “beaver fever.” While it can be spread in multiple ways, drinking giardia-contaminated water is the most common, according to the federal Centers for Disease control. It is not spread through contact with blood, however.
Not everyone who ingests giardiasis develops symptoms but if they do, it can last between two and six weeks.
Pregnant women and infants are at particular risk of dehydration, according to the CDC, which notes that the illness can be fatal in young babies.
As for COVID-19, Union College as of mid-august had gotten back 12 positive test results for students and one for faculty/staff. Two students were in quarantine as of Oct. 22, according to the student paper.