A stomach bug has caused nearly 200 students at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Penn. to fall ill, according to USA Today. The one commonality between all the affected students was that they ate in the school's dining hall.
The liberal arts school reported that at least 174 have shown symptoms of the illness at this time. These symptoms include intense and prolonged instances of vomiting. Reports of these symptoms first began on Tuesday.
School officials closed the dining hall and cancelled Friday classes after the onset of the outbreak, The Examiner reported. Montgomery County Health Department officials are now on the campus investigating these reports.
While these symptoms mimic those caused by Norovirus, officials have yet to confirm the cause.
"It is common at this time of year for gastrointestinal illnesses (GI), such as Norovirus, more commonly known as the stomach bug, to be circulating in the community, particularly in institutions like colleges and long-term care facilities where people are living in close quarters," the MCHD said in a release, Inquisitr reported.
An inspection by MCHD officials found a dozen violations, five of which were "risk violations." These include employees drinking from open cups while on the cooking line, handling trash cans then handling food without washing hands, touching their faces then touching food, and finding dead roach-like insects in storage areas.
