UM freshman from Howard County dies of adenovirus

Family questions if school could have done more

A freshman at the University of Maryland, College Park, died Sunday of complications from adenovirus, and her family is questioning whether the university — which has seen several cases of the illness — could have done more to prevent her death and whether it was related to a mold outbreak in some dorms.

Olivia Paregol, an 18-year-old from Glenwood in Howard County, had been sick since early in the semester, when she first developed a cough. Her condition worsened and she contracted pneumonia. After leaving school, she was taken to the emergency room multiple times before she died at Johns Hopkins Hospital, said her father, Ian Paregol.

In a letter to the campus community acknowledging the death of a student, the university said that six cases of “adenovirusassociated illness” have been confirmed on the College Park campus.

“We offer our condolences during this difficult time,” the university’s health director, Dr. David McBride, wrote. “While we are normally prohibited from sharing medical information publicly, we have been authorized by a family member to share this news and urge others to take seriously this strain of a common virus.”

The virus, which has more than 50 strains, can cause illnesses ranging from common colds to pneumonia. Fever, diarrhea, intestinal infections and neurological diseases are also possible, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Serious conditions stemming from adenovirus are rare, but they are more common in people with compromised immune systems, according to the CDC. Olivia Paregol was at risk because medication she was taking to combat Crohn’s disease weakened her immune system, her father said.

The CDC, the Maryland Department of Health and the Prince George’s County Health Department are investigating the outbreak on campus. Brian Bachus, chief of the state health department’s division of outbreak investigations, said the state health department first became aware of the campus outbreak Nov. 12, after the Prince George’s County Health Department reported it to his team.

It’s not unusual for a university to experience an adenovirus outbreak around this time of year, he said.

“It’s not always known when there’s an outbreak on campus because people are going to different physicians,” Bachus said. “It probably happens more frequently than we’re aware.”

The CDC and Prince George’s County Health Department did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

To stem the spread of adenovirus, the university health center, residential buildings, transportation services, recreation centers and student union are increasing cleaning of “high-touch surfaces” and restrooms, according to the health center. And the school’s dining services are changing self-service utensils every 15 minutes.

Ian Paregol said his daughter came down with a cough several weeks into the semester, her first at the College Park campus, where she was studying criminology. She visited the University Health Center several times as her condition worsened, he said.

Ian Paregol said he’s trying to understand whether her condition was exacerbated by a mold outbreak on the campus this fall. Olivia lived in Elkton Hall, one of the dorms that students were evacuated from so crews could treat the buildings for mold.