Gonzaga students fall ill

Health officials suspect a norovirus is the culprit in an outbreak of illness on the Gonzaga University campus.

Forty-one GU students were treated and released at area health centers and emergency rooms Friday with symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and sometimes fever and chills.

The students are recovering quickly, leading Spokane Regional Health District epidemiologists to suspect a norovirus.

Also called Norwalk virus, norovirus is the type of germ that caused headline-grabbing illnesses on cruise ships in recent years.

Stool samples are on their way to the Washington state public health laboratory in Shoreline for analysis. Results won’t be known for at least several days, said health district epidemiologist Dr. Paul Stepak.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, norovirus disease is usually not serious. Dehydration is the greatest risk.

Some of the students who got care at emergency rooms Friday received intravenous fluids, Stepak said.

The students ate at various locations, including food service locations and in homes. No food service workers have been sick, Stepak said.

People can become infected with norovirus by eating contaminated food or by touching contaminated surfaces.

Thorough hand washing and cleaning surfaces with a solution of bleach and water are recommended to prevent the spread of illness.

Fluids and rest are recommended for people already sick.