Tyler Mignault

Several students in the first-year residence hall, The Ledges, caught the Norovirus during an outbreak.

Shortly after returning from winter break, Quinnipiac University students reported a Norovirus outbreak in The Ledges Residence Hall.

“After cases of the ‘stomach flu’ were reported last week among residents of Ledges Residence Hall, the university’s medical director wrote to the students living in The Ledges to offer guidance on symptoms, prevention and when to seek medical care,” John Morgan, associate vice president for public relations, wrote. 

Norovirus, more commonly known as the “stomach flu,” is a highly contagious virus. Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting or nausea, fever and chills, stomach cramps, fatigue, headache and muscle cramps.

Symptoms can take approximately 1-3 days to appear, health experts say. They also recommend staying hydrated if sick and to avoid greasy, spicy or sugary foods, in addition to alcohol.

Health experts say that the settings created by dorms, and other such small spaces, create the ideal environment for highly contagious diseases, like the norovirus, to spread. They recommend washing hands and wiping down surfaces to help prevent the spread of the disease.

While The Ledges’ residents were officially notified of the outbreak, much of the Quinnipiac community was unaware.

Aside from a “Tips for Respiratory Season” email from Hartford Healthcare, sent prior to the outbreak, there was no further communication to the rest of the Quinnipiac community.

Many students and professors found out by word of mouth, social media posts and coverage from local news outlets.

“Quinnipiac should have done a better job of sending something out. We get alerts when bobcats are on campus, but not when there’s a pretty major illness breaking out,” Jack Ouligian, first-year sports communication major, said.

This lack of communication makes it difficult for students to properly protect themselves against the spread of the disease, resulting in a larger outbreak, as they are not made aware of the symptoms or necessary precautions against the illness.

Some students find the outbreak concerning, given the close-quarters nature of college living and the rate at which it spreads, Angelica Tsihlis, sophomore biomedical marketing major, noted.

However, other students find that, given the time of year and that it is flu-season, that such outbreaks are common and not out of the ordinary.

“It’s a pretty normal thing that happens around college campuses. You can’t really avoid it,” Grace Pannuto, first-year applied business major, said.

Students have been taking a variety of precautions to remain healthy. Several students, such as The Ledges residents like Pannuto, have been cleaning spaces more frequently.

Others have been avoiding the residence hall altogether, to reduce the chance of getting sick.