Unknown disease strikes 4 - Epidemic Hazard - North-America NYC

[Marcie]

http://visz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?id=7712&cat=dis&lang=eng


Epidemic Hazard - North-America
Event summary

GLIDE Number EH-20060924-7712-USA
Event type Epidemic Hazard Date / time [UTC] 24/09/2006 - 08:01:48 (Military Time, UTC)
Country USA Area Fordham University
County / State New York City Bronx
Cause of event Unknow Log date 24/09/2006 - 08:01:48 (Military Time, UTC)
Damage level Moderate Time left -
Latitude: N 40? 52.374 Longitude: W 73? 49.669
Number of deaths: Not or Not data Number of injured persons: Not or Not data
Evacuated: - Infected 1
-

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DESCRIPTION
A mysterious illness has reportedly hospitalized four students at Fordham University in the Bronx. According to the New York Post, the four Fordham students on the Rose Hill campus were hospitalized in the past two weeks for symptoms including nausea, fever, headaches and sensitivity to light. One of the students has been released and is continuing to recover. Fordham officials say tests are being done to find the cause of the illness, though they've been told it's not viral meningitis. Officials say the students all live in same dorm. The shared bathrooms are being treated twice-daily. Students are being recommended to update immunizations and wash their hands regularly.

 

[Marcie]

Re: Unknown disease strikes 4 - Epidemic Hazard - North-America NYC

http://www.nypost.com/news/regional...vid_andreatta_______and_brigitte_williams.htm

MYSTERY BUG SICKENS 4 STUDENTS


By DAVID ANDREATTA and BRIGITTE WILLIAMS

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September 23, 2006 -- A mysterious flu-like illness has hospitalized four Fordham University students in the past two weeks, university officials said, sparking an investigation by university and city health officials.
The illness, whose symptoms include nausea, fever, headaches and sensitivity to light, has thus far been confined to the university's Rose Hill campus in The Bronx.

The first student to become ill, a woman, continues to recover on campus after she was stricken with the bug early last week and released from the hospital following a brief stay, according to Fordham spokeswoman Libby Schmalz.

Since then, three other students have been hospitalized with similar symptoms to hers, the last two on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Each was expected to spend a couple of days in the hospital undergoing tests.

"The cause of the illness is suspected to be a virus, and we await lab results," Schmalz said. "We have been advised that viral meningitis is not suspected."

While the genesis of the illness is not clear, officials are focusing on communal bathrooms in a residence hall, which the university did not name.

All four of the students reside in the same dorm, which has communal bathrooms on each floor. Three of the sick students live on the same floor. Both men and women have been hit by the mystery bug.

Posters advising students to update their immunizations - including recommendations for measles, mumps, rubella and meningitis - and wash their hands regularly were plastered throughout residence halls and restrooms across campus this week.

The university also began power-washing dorm bathrooms to safeguard against infection, and planned to treat each of them twice a day over the weekend.

Most students interviewed on campus yesterday said they were not concerned about an outbreak. But some, like pre-med sophomore Stephanie Swensen, weren't taking any chances.

"It's scary," said Swensen, 18. "Ever since I heard, I've been carrying my Purell [hand sanitizer] to wash my hands."

The city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene issued a statement saying that lab tests are pending for each of the cases, and that the agency will continue to closely monitor the campus.

david.andreatta@nypost.com

 

[hawkeye]

Fordham Fights Flu-like Nasty

Fordham Fights Flu-like Nasty

Fordham Fights Flu-like Nasty
Dorm life has many perks for college kids: Proximity to your peers, distance from your parents, an introduction for many kids to independent living. It also has a some similar perks for viruses: Proximity to young, generally unhygienic, fresh meat. As such, you know that college is back in full swing when the first round of bugs start hitting the college kids.

Four students in a publicly unnamed dorm on Fordham University's Rose Hill campus in the Bronx have been hospitalized after coming down with a flu-like virus whose symptoms include "nausea, fever, headaches and sensitivity to light." The first student to come down with the bug has already left the hospital and the other students are expected to do so as well in the coming days. The city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is "closely monitoring" the cases while it awaits lab results.

All four students lived in one dorm in which students share communal bathrooms and as such Fordham is in the process of performing multiple "power-washes" in all of its bathrooms as we type. The school has also been plastering its campus with posters telling students how to stay healthy. The silver-lining in this sickness? It serves as a great reminder of the importance good hygiene and keeping your immunizations up-to-date. So seriously everybody, especially those of you living in dormitories, please, please, please keep yourself clean and remember to WASH YOUR HANDS!