ATLANTA — Emory University confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that the dozens of students sickened by gastrointestinal illnesses have tested positive for norovirus.
Emory received confirmation Friday night from the Georgia Public Health Laboratory and Emory Medical Lab that all patient samples taken during the initial outbreak of gastroenteritis among students Nov. 12 tested positive for norovirus.
Norovirus is a highly contagious intestinal virus that causes vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain and can lead to dehydration. Cases are generally resolved within 48 hours.
As of Friday, 89 students had sought care for gastroenteritis at Student Health and Counseling Services or the Emory University Hospital Emergency Department since the early morning hours of Nov. 12.
The number of new cases has slowed significantly since the initial outbreak, with just 12 new cases Saturday and Sunday. The total number of cases handled by Student Health or the Emory University Hospital Emergency Department is 101 as of Monday. The vast majority of students have been treated and released, and none are currently hospitalized. Campus Life staff continue to monitor and support affected students.
One student talked to Channel 2's Tom Regan about his encounter with a sick student.
"I was walking down the hall and I ran into a girl who said, 'Dude, everyone here is really sick,'" student Hemi Venkatesh said. ""I walked into a girl's room, who was very sick. I called for an ambulance because she tried to stand up but couldn't because she was so nauseated."
One student told Regan that her friends became sick after eating in a campus dining hall on Wednesday.
"The next morning some of my close friends said they couldn't go to class. Their stomachs hurt, they'd been vomiting all night. At another resident hall, the whole bathroom was filled with kids getting sick all night," student Madeline DeShazer said.
Emory student health officials are working with DeKalb County Board of Health, experts at Emory Infectious Diseases and the Rollins School of Public Health to try and identify the original source of the infection, including the testing of food samples. DeKalb Health Department inspected the premises on Nov. 12, and found no issues of concerns or infractions.
WSBTV
