A wave of Norovirus infections has hit Williston Northampton, leaving dozens of students sick.
Alice Brashares, a student from Albany, Calif., was one of many students taken down.
”I was sick for like two days total,” Alice said. “The first day I was like throwing up the whole day and I started throwing up at like 1:30 am. I woke up and went to the bathroom and then I went back to bed,” Alice said. “Then it kept happening for like three hours I was throwing up every 30 minutes, so I called the nurse on duty at like 4:00 a.m., and they sent security to come get me and bring me to health.”
Alice adds that the nurses from Health and Wellness were really helpful while she was overcoming her sickness; especially Lindsay Hanford, who put Alice to bed and gave her all the help she needed.
“They would check on me every 30 minutes to an hour unless I was sleeping,” she said. “It was a horrible experience, but they helped me a lot.”
Justin Fenton-Hill, a senior from Chestnut Hill, Mass., said that getting the Norovirus was “probably the worst thing I ever had.” He was sick for around 12 hours, starting at 4:30 a.m, leaving him unable to eat for two days. “It was just awful.”
Christopher Oswitt, a junior from Princeton, Mass. struggled with eating just like Chris; he couldn’t consume anything all day on Thursday. However, time at Health and Wellness helped improve his condition.
“I felt nauseous through the day but was getting better,” Chris said. “The next day I was feeling much better and I was able to eat a little bit and by the night I was back to normal.”
Heather Manley, an Administrative Assistant to Health and Wellness, reports that the cases have been increasing every day; however, the infections usually only last for around two days.
“We haven’t been keeping track on how many cases we have had so far, there may be two viruses going around we don’t test, it could be either the Norovirus versus just the standard stomach bug,” Manley said. “We have probably had around 20 cases. most of the time people stay with us for a day or so and then we let them go back to their dorms.”
The Norovirus is caused by a virus in the Caliciviridae family. When it enters your body, it makes your stomach and intestines swell or become inflamed. This condition is called gastroenteritis, which ultimately leads to symptoms like nausea and vomiting. This virus is highly contagious since it spreads through close contact or contaminated food or surfaces, and it can last one to three days.
The Health and Wellness staff have increased their efforts to deep clean the facility by using bleach and consistently cleaning high-touched surfaces.
The nurses are also providing guidance on preventing its spread.
“Wash hands, soap and water, don’t share drinks, utensils and things like that with other people,” Manley said. “Make sure you are eating, drinking and sleeping enough. As an added bonus, vitamin C is always helpful.”
