Sunday, March 29, 2009

Norovirus Outbreak Sickens 100 Students, Shuts Down Massachusetts College


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March 29, 2009 1:02 p.m. EST

Windsor Genova - AHN News Writer

Wellesley, MA (AHN) - One hundred students of Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts have suffered from norovirus gastrointestinal illness prompting school officials to shut down the institution on Saturday.

The infected students suffered from nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. A few severely ill students have been hospitalized so they can be intravenously rehydrated, Shepard Cohen, the health board chairman, told Boston.com.

Mary Suresh, director of the Wellesley Health Department, said the college may reopen on Wednesday.

Dr. Alfred DeMaria, state epidemiologist, said in a news conference at the department that the source of the outbreak on Wednesday has not yet been identified, according to Boston.com.

Meanwhile, precautions to prevent the spread of the virus have been taken. Classes and campus activities have been suspended. Students living on campus have been told not to leave school. Maintenance staff are sanitizing campus facilities and students have been provided with cleaning supplies to clean their rooms.

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