More than 150 cases of gastroenteritis have been reported at the University of Guelph.
Dr. Nicola Mercer, medical director of health for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, added that those are just the cases they know of.
“Which actually probably means we have a lot more,” he told CTV News on Thursday.
Symptoms of gastroenteritis include vomiting and diarrhea.
The most common cause is norovirus.
“We haven’t identified the virus yet, but we’re pretty sure it’s norovirus. It seems like yes, it is behaving like that, the epidemiology, the spread,” Mercer said. “When it hits, it hits very hard.”
Symptoms can last between 12 and 24 hours.
“This virus is nasty,” Mercer explained. “Everything you touch, handrails, faucets when you wash your hands. And then you might accidentally touch your eye or mouth. You are bringing it into your body. It doesn’t take much to make you sick.”
As of Wednesday, sixty cases of gastroenteritis were reported and at noon on Thursday there were between 120 and 130. Hours later, the total number of confirmed cases had increased to 150.
“It could increase substantially,” Mercer said. “We know it continues to spread. We can see that.”
The school confirmed to CTV News on Wednesday that it was dealing with a “cluster of illnesses,” primarily in South Residence, although other cases were also reported off-campus.
The University of Guelph said it is working with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health to mitigate the spread of the virus.
“We have initiated, expanded and enhanced cleaning measures,” said Melinda Scott, the school’s vice chancellor for student affairs. “Our custodial staff has initiated enhanced cleaning measures in all of our bathrooms, our common area, frequently touched surfaces, doorknobs, water fountains, etc.”
But that may not be enough to stop the spread.
“The problem with this virus is that it’s a little hard to kill,” Mercer said. “If you’ve ever gone into your house, for example, normal household cleaners don’t actually kill this particular virus. The university is using all the right products, we have sent our infection and control team [Wednesday] to make sure they are doing all the proper cleaning.”
Students are urged to wash their hands frequently, but Mercer warned that most commercial hand sanitizers will not be strong enough to kill the virus.
While some students went to the hospital, none were admitted for further medical care.
Mercer said students should go to Student Health Services or their local emergency department if their symptoms worsen, especially if they have trouble breathing, standing or experiencing bloody diarrhea.
