Illness strikes 200 at Humber College

Some food facilities closed as cause still under investigation

The number of people sickened by a mysterious outbreak at Humber College has risen to nearly 200 as officials race to figure out its cause, Toronto Public Health said Saturday.

The illness first broke out on Thursday at Humber’s North campus, near Hwy. 427 and Finch Ave. Symptoms so far have included stomach pain, vomiting, cramping, nausea and dizziness.

“This cluster of illness may be due to a food source or is something that is being passed from person to person,” said Dr. Michael Finkelstein, a Toronto Public Health (TPH) spokesperson, via email.

“Once certain viruses are in environments such as student residences where individuals live close together, preventing the spread of easily transmitted seasonal viruses like norovirus (stomach flu) becomes challenging,” he added.

Officials haven’t yet been able to determine exactly what illness they’re dealing with. But Finkelstein said figuring that out will help locate the source of the outbreak.

TPH said an inspection of Humber College residence found “no signif- icant food safety issues.”

Meanwhile, the college says it has redoubled cleaning efforts and closed on-campus self-serve food facilities, such as salad bars.

“Humber has increased cleaning frequency in the residences and is assisting affected students by delivering water to encourage hydration,” said a statement from the college released late Friday night.

TPH launched its investigation Thursday, when about 120 people at Humber, mostly students, came down with the illness. At the time, 40 of those ended up in emergency rooms, though all but one have been sent home.