Health officials investigating the campus outbreak of a stomach virus two weeks ago have determined a time frame in which they believe most students were infected.
Ingham County Medical Examiner Dean Sienko said many of the infected students ate at Shaw Hall cafeteria between 1:30 and 2 p.m. March 30, more than 24 hours before the students experienced symptoms. The virus typically takes 24 to 48 hours before symptoms are visible.
Health officials have found 47 students they believe were sickened by norovirus, a stomach ailment, between 4:30 p.m. March 31 and 8 a.m. April 1, Sienko said.
“We’re going to look at those 47 to see if there were any commonalities, what time did they eat at the cafeteria and any food item associated with this group,” Sienko said.
A source of the virus hasn’t been found, but health investigators will continue to search “a few more days before we can come to any conclusions,” Sienko said.
If the virus was passed through food, it likely would have been the result of a sick person touching the food rather than contaminated food already delivered to MSU, Sienko said.
More than 30 students were hospitalized as a result of the norovirus outbreak. The students never were in serious condition, and all were released within three days.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
