After months of the swine flu scare, there is a new virus circulating around campus: norovirus. There is no treatment for this gastric virus that causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, according to an e-mail from Student Health Services.
Jane Reno-Munro, the Director of Student Health Services, sent an e-mail to the student body last week with information regarding the virus. The e-mail informed students about the symptoms of the virus as well as ways to prevent and treat it.
Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are common symptoms of the virus; in some cases people may experience fever, body chills and fatigue, according to the e-mail.
Reno-Munro said that the virus is most commonly spread by people who don’t wash their hands regularly, especially after using the bathroom.
Symptoms occur suddenly, usually within 24 to 48 hours after ingestion, and last one to two days. The best way to prevent getting the virus is to wash your hands frequently, especially before preparing food or after using the bathroom, and to wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating them, according to the e-mail.
Diarrhea can be treated with over-the-counter Imodium (Loperamide); however, there is no official treatment for norovirus, so students who get it should drink plenty of water and other fluids, such as Gatorade, ginger ale and clear broth. If able to, the e-mail said students should also try to eat bland foods such as rice, cereal and potatoes.
Reno-Munro said there have been reports of students sick with a stomach virus but it is hard to know for sure if it is norovirus because Student Health Services is unable to test for it.
Sophomore Zoe Woodrum thinks she fell ill with norovirus on Wednesday.
“I woke up at 2 a.m. feeling nauseous, which continued on into the morning,” Woodrum said. Woodrum decided to go to Student Health Services when she woke up around 9 a.m. and still felt ill.
Woodrum said she felt miserable when she went to Health Services.
 “They told me I had to make an appointment for later in the morning and I just broke down crying. It takes a lot to make me cry,” said Woodrum, who was unable to eat and had been vomiting throughout the morning.
Woodrum said Student Health Services was helpful, allowing her to get immediate treatment.
“Health Services gave me an anti-nausea shot and I went home and slept for the rest of the day,” said Woodrum. “By Thursday I was feeling a lot better but I still wasn’t able to eat much.”
CNN reported that a cruise ship with over 400 people sick with norovirus returned to Charleston Feb. 26. Before returning to Charleston, a doctor and two nurses joined the cruise medical staff to help treat passengers in the British Virgin Islands, according to CNN.
According to the e-mail sent by Reno-Munro, people should be careful to avoid direct contact with those who are infected with norovirus.