12/09/2008

Associated Press

An outbreak of norovirus has sickened more than 200 students, faculty and staff at Butler University, health officials say.

The norovirus, one of a family of viruses that are spread person-to-person and cause flu-like systems, was first reported Nov. 22, said Marion County Health Department spokesman John T. Althardt.

"It started before the Thanksgiving holiday, then people came back and it just took off," he said.

Tests confirmed that patients had the norovirus, whose symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever. Similar outbreaks have occurred on campuses in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Oregon, Althardt said.

"It's your common cruise ship kind of scenario," he said. "There is a higher risk for a norovirus where there are large groups of people around each other for a long period of time."

Butler officials called the health department last week after dozens of patients visited its campus Health Center with similar symptoms.

"We are scrubbing all public areas of the university so we can stop the spread of this," Butler spokesman Marc Allan said.

He said Butler is also advising its students and employees to clean their desks, telephones and office door handles.

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Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com