More than 40 students at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh recently reported symptoms associated with norovirus, spurring university health officials to issue a health warning to the campus community Wednesday, according to a report from ABC2.
University officials are working with the Winnebago County Health Department to identify infected individuals and limit the spread of the highly contagious virus.
"Currently we have about 75 percent of our residence halls that are experiencing symptoms of norovirus," said Pamela MacWilliams, MSN, RN, director of the university's Student Health Center, according to Oshkosh Northwestern. "I do anticipate that we're going to have more cases."
Symptoms of norovirus include abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and diarrhea. The illness can be transmitted through person-to-person contact or contact with contaminated surfaces and food. Norovirus causes 56,000 to 71,000 hospitalizations and 570 to 800 deaths every year, according to the CDC.
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