Tests reveal norovirus outbreak on UNC campus

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, March 5, 2013

HILLSBOROUGH (AP) — Health officials in Orange County have confirmed an outbreak of norovirus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
A statement from the county health department says between Feb. 27 and March 1, approximately 85 students sought medical care for nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and/or fever.
An electronic survey was sent out to students seen by Campus Health Service in an effort to identify a possible common exposure, but the surveys revealed no common source.
As a preventative measure, Campus Dining and Campus Housing are utilizing additional disinfecting measures specifically to eliminate norovirus in facilities where students have been ill.
Individuals are urged to wash their hands and clean commonly touched surfaces with bleach- based cleaning supplies. Food handlers shouldn’t work in food service until they’re symptom-free for 72 hours.