Campus experiences virus -bug outbreak -the Lafayette

The communication department of Lafayette College has sent a community-wide email in which students and the faculty were informed about an increase in viral intestinal diseases on March 7.

The e -mail referred to the general increase in cases of Norovirus in Lehigh Valley. Jodi Schlutter Director of Health Services wrote in an e -mail that the exact virus that affects the campus was not determined.

“I cannot say 100 percent sure that it is Norovirus because we were unable to send stool samples for cultures,” she wrote. “However, due to earlier stomach intestine diseases on the Lafayette College, it presents as Norovirus or another similar virus as adenovirus, rotavirus, etc.”

According to Schlitter, 78 cases of the enigmatic illness between 3rd and 12th March were reported in the health center between 3rd and 12th March. She theorized that this number could be higher than what is reported because people have decided not to be seen or to look after elsewhere.

Hina Zaidi, a doctor who practices pediatric infectious diseases in the Lehigh Valley Reilly Children's Hospital, said in an email that the symptoms of Norovirus have 12-48 hours after exposure, but only lasts 24-72 hours. Information from the centers for the control of diseases state that Norovirus can spread to other people two weeks after exposure.

“It is typical for this time of year,” Schläter wrote about the outbreak. “The gastroenteritis virus spreads mainly from November and April, since more people are interior and have direct contact with contaminated surfaces.”

Zaidi called the disease to the “winter eraser” and clarified that the The Greater Lehigh Valley area is also influenced by the increase in viral intestinal diseases.

“There is a high community transmission,” wrote Zaidi. Accordingly WFMZSome estimates say that the number of Norovirus cases is ten times higher than anything you have seen in the past decade.

The E -Mail of the communication department encouraged the faculty to complain about the practice of Dean's excuses for regular absences, and advised the students “good behaviors for public health that we all know well”. Schlitter wrote that Bailey encouraged students to show symptoms, “not to return to classes and activities until their symptoms improved by 48 hours”.

To prevent Norovirus, the CDC promotes frequent hand washing, laundry in hot water and disinfection of contaminated surfaces.

Remarkably, “hand disinfectant alone is not sufficient” to kill or prevent Norovirus, says Zaidi.