Virus infects 60 more, but end in sight

A gastrointestinal virus that has now infected 330 USC students has been confirmed as a norovirus, and health officials said the number of new reported cases has declined in the last two days.

Dr. Lawrence Neinstein, executive director of the University Park Health Center, said the number of reported cases of the norovirus was lower Tuesday than Monday, and lower Monday than Sunday.

“The trend is very good,” Neinstein said.

Students were first notified of the spread of the virus by the TrojansAlert system Saturday morning. Norovirus causes vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea to those affected, and symptoms typically last one to two days.

In spite of the decreasing number of new cases, many students said they were still nervous about becoming ill.

“A lot of people in my hall are getting sick and it’s kind of hard to avoid,” said Emily Tham, a freshman majoring in business administration.

But, Tham said, it seemed that fewer students in her hall were getting sick Tuesday compared to the weekend.

TrojanHousing distributed hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes at its office for the second day in a row Tuesday, and customer service centers at residence halls across campus also had sanitizer to give to students.

With parents’ weekend and a home football game approaching, Neinstein said there are no plans to cancel major campus events. He said a letter will likely go out to parents to explain what has happened, and hand sanitizer will  be made available around campus.

“Sick students should not be going to class,” Neinstein said. “They really need to isolate themselves until they feel better and keep up good hygiene after they feel better.”

Neinstein said the virus is not airborne and needs to enter the body through the mouth. As a result, students can decrease their risk of contracting the virus by washing their hands regularly, especially before and after eating and using the restroom.

“How long it goes on is up to people on campus following instructions,” said Dr. Laurene Mascola, chief of the Acute Communicable Disease Control Program at the Los Angeles Department of Public Health.

USC has consulted with the health department throughout the outbreak.

 Mascola said that while norovirus is not airborne, only a few viral particles are needed to infect people, making it very contagious.

“Once it gets somewhere, it can easily blow up into a huge event,” Mascola said.

Norovirus is primarily a winter virus that is often seen on cruise ships and other closed places, though it is common everywhere, Mascola said.

A similar outbreak is also affecting Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where more than 200 students have sought medical attention for the virus since Tuesday. The Hoya, Georgetown’s student newspaper, reported that university officials do not believe the two outbreaks are related.