Officials noticed more and more student reports of intestinal sickness earlier this week. Labratory tests confirmed Norovirus is going around the Hamilton College campus. Melissa Krull visited the school to see how they're handling the situation.
CLINTON, N.Y. -- "One of my friends is in her room got it a couple days ago, so she's been in her room, quarantining herself," said Hamilton College student Molly Geisinger.
Molly Geisinger, Hamilton College Student "I think a lot of people here are stressed out, just because we feel like it can happen to us at any second," Geisinger said. "I work for "The Spectator" and we were in the office last night working on the paper, and in the middle of the night, one guy got up and just went to the bathroom vomiting."
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Norovirus causes your stomach or intestines or both to get inflamed...leading to stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea and vomitting.
"Typically it's either food-based or water-based or on a surface that somebody touches, so we're looking to see if we can figure out where this started. There doesn't seem to be any connections at all," said Associate Dean for Students Safety and Health Jeff Landry.
The College is being proactive. Staff have been rigorously cleaning areas throughout campus since Monday, even bringing in an outside company to clean and disinfect the entire campus.
"It's concerning because a lot of our students feel really terrible," Landry said. "What I've been reading is it's comes on really quickly, and it's a really terrible experience when it's on."
"The College is doing everything that it can, and I'm pleased with what they're doing, but it's also a matter of the students who are suffering from these symptoms to notice that that's what is happening to themselves and quarantine themselves accordingly," said Zach Oscar, a Hamilton College student.
College officials are asking any students who are sick to wait two days before returning to class... and staff to stay away if they are sick.
