At least one confirmed case of the gastrointestinal disease, norovirus has been confirmed in a student at the Adrian, MI campus of Siena Heights University.
Local news reports say out of the few Adrian campus students who have recently experienced symptoms of a norovirus illness, such as vomiting or diarrhea, one has tested positive for norovirus, said Doug Goodnough, director of marketing at the university.
“Right now, the reported number of these cases is at manageable levels,” he said. “The university is taking all necessary precautionary measures to prevent the further spread of this virus.”
Norovirus is a highly contagious viral illness that often goes by other names, such as viral gastroenteritis, stomach flu, and food poisoning.
The symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and some stomach cramping. Sometimes people additionally have a low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and a general sense of tiredness. The illness often begins suddenly, and the infected person may feel very sick. In most people, the illness is self-limiting with symptoms lasting for about 1 or 2 days. In general, children experience more vomiting than adults do.
Norovirus is spread person to person particularly in crowded, closed places. Norovirus is typically spread through contaminated food and water, touching surfaces or objects contaminated with norovirus and then putting your hand or fingers in your mouth and close contact with someone who is vomiting or hasdiarrhea.
Norovirus causes more than 20 million illnesses annually, and it is the leading cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks in the United States.
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