Ursinus students report illness
School closes cafeteria, snack bar after 100 show symptoms
COLLEGEVILLE>> Ursinus College is taking some precautions after at least 100 students fell ill in recent days with a stomach sickness.
Over the course of Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, 100 students had reported symptoms of a stomach illness and 22 of them had visited local hospitals and urgent care facilities for treatment, college officials said Wednesday afternoon.
“Starting last night we started receiving calls of a number of students who were ill, vomiting, severe stomach pains,” said Missy Bryant, assistant dean of students.
The first case was reported at approximately 2 p.m. Tuesday but more cases became apparent throughout the course of the evening and evening into Wednesday morning.
“It appears the students who did have symptoms (Tuesday) in the afternoon or evening, the symptoms are starting to subside,” Bryant said. “We think it may be a 12- to 24-hour kind of stomach related infection, we’re
just not sure what the source of it is yet.”
The school has stated it is taking the matter seriously and is currently investigating the cause of the illness to see if it is foodborne or spread through person-to-person contact.
The college voluntarily closed its cafeteria and snack bar allowing county health officials to continue gathering information regarding the illness, school officials announced Wednesday afternoon.
Ursinus College temporarily closed the fitness center for cleaning but the facility was expected to reopen after it had been cleaned. Additional cleaning was being done in residential and high traffic areas, such as common areas and lounges.
The Wismer Center dining halls were closed and reopened after cleaning.
“Additionally, they’re serving a limited menu today,” Bryant said. “So we’re trying to contain what food is being served, so we wouldhave a sense if something were to continue.”
By 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, the college announced all dining services would be closed, including the cafeteria and snack bar, and it would send students information about alternative dining options via email.
Montgomery County Health Depar tment told Digital First Media Wednesday that it is currently looking into thematter and is working with Ursinus College to gather more information.
“We’re collaborating with Montgomery County Health Department to determine the cause,” according to a statement issued by Ursinus.
“I encourage any students or staff experiencing symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain to be particularly careful about dehydration and to seek medical care,” Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, interim medical director of the Montgomery County Health Department, said in a press release Wednesday afternoon.
It is common at this time of year for gastrointestinal illnesses, such as Norovirus, more commonly known as the stomach bug, to be circulating in the community, particularly in institutions like colleges and long-termcare facilities where people are living in close quarters, Arkoosh said.
“The best way to prevent the spread GI illness is to practice good handhygiene and to thoroughly clean and disinfect all surfaces in common areas,” she said.
Students on campus were understandably shaken by the outbreak, with many saying they were avoiding certain buildings and purchasing food off campus, just to be safe.
“It’s a little worrisome,” said senior Brian Henstenburg. “A lot of kids aren’t going to Wismer today. I was going to go get some off campus food… It’s kind of scary. I don’t want to catch it.”
“I guess it’s kind of scary,” said senior Kristina Steffenhagen. “It’s spreading really fast but campus has been really nice and they already sent out emails about what they’re going to do and how they’re going to do it. So they’re on top of their things, which is really nice.”
“I think it’s pretty crazy,” said sophomore Kaelin Ruoss. “I’m a little worried about eating at Wismer. I know they’re taking care of it because they shut down to clean it all, so that’s good.”
“It’s a little bit frightening,” said freshman Carter Usowski. “Everyone’s going to Wawa today. We just want to make sure everything’s cleaned up before they start eating everything again.”
“A lot of students are trying to stay safe,” said freshman David Drea. “One of our buddies on the baseball team is sick right now. He wanted go to the hospital. We’re not sure if he’s there right now or not but he could drive there if he wanted to. ”
Other students at the school took to Twitter to talk about the illness:
“Every year I joke about avoiding the Ursinus plague, but this year it’s like actually a plague,” said user @_mnrosenberger.
Another Twitter user,@ jordan_miller12, tweeted, “The plague is real @ursinus college.”
College students or staff who experiences symptoms can contact theUrsinus College Wellness Center (wellness@ursinus.edu ) or come in during regular hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. UC EMS will be available 24/7 for assistance; contact campus safety at 610-409-3333.