A norovirus outbreak infected 64 people at the University of Regina (U of R) last week.
Cases of whooping cough were detected at the University of Moncton last October.
A strain of meningitis at Acadia University left a student dead in 2015 and 84 per cent of the school’s student population vaccinated.
Outbreaks of viruses ranging from the common flu to the potentially deadly meningitis can strike universities, where there’s a heavy concentration of people in one place. As a result, Canadian post-secondary institutions have to be prepared to face the spectre of viruses spreading to some of the more than two million students—and fast.
U of R shut down its gym and lifestyle centre once people began to experience symptoms of norovirus, including diarrhea, vomiting, and aches.
“It has a lot of high-contact surfaces,” said Darren Cherwaty, director of health, safety, and wellness at U of R.
Cherwaty said once universities detect a virus outbreak, its immediate focus is to quickly contain it.
Students who are unwell or show symptoms are urged to remain off campus for at least 48 hours. Students are then notified, and once infected students are off campus, the school starts sanitizing high-risk areas around schools such as cafeterias.
“It was a little alarming,” he said. “I’ve been here for about 11 or 12 years and this is the first outbreak that we’ve had.”
Temporary changes have also been made in the way the university handles food, eliminating self-serve cafeteria bars in order to prevent food from being infected.
Regional public health officials make recommendations for what precautions universities can take based on the severity of outbreaks.
Like the common flu, norovirus is spread through contact with a person infected, touching contaminated surfaces, and sharing food.
According to Cherwaty, norovirus is hard to prevent because there is no vaccines available and it’s difficult to track how it spreads. However, the school annually hosts flu vaccination clinics, which can prevent the spreading of the most common sickness afflicting students during the school year.
Ryerson University professor and epidemiologist Timothy Sly began investigating the first outbreaks of norovirus in Ontario in the 1980s.
Sly said there are few serious illnesses to warrant shutting down a school.
The last time major urban institutions in Canada were closed to the public because of a virus epidemic was during the 2003 SARS crisis, which shut down hospitals in Toronto. Universities had kept their doors open during the outbreak, however.
Due to major medical advancements in the 20th century, the public hasn’t had to worry about pandemics since the Spanish influenza outbreak that killed millions worldwide.
“The influenza was horrible, and killed roughly half of those that became infected. Unlike the influenza, norovirus hasn’t killed anybody,” Sly said.
According to Sly, all universities have pandemic plans created to address concerns regarding diseases like H5N1 avian flu appearing in the province.
Common plans include a communication process between officials and real-time alerts on university websites advising people what to do. Everything is linked with information coming from the health department for the city and province.
McMaster University created the “Pandemic Influenza Guide” to inform the school community of the dangers of flu virus and how the university should react to it.
The guide included instructions of how to prevent the virus from spreading both at home, work, and at school. In addition, informational packages are provided to students living on residence on how to prevent the spread of diseases.
“There’s no way to be ready for outbreaks, other than trying to get people to wash their hands more often, not to put their fingers in their mouths, and to stay at home if they are not feeling well,” Sly said.
For Zoya Zajac, a recent graduate of the University of Toronto, avoiding school would only be an action if a large amount of students get sick.
“If there’s a cold going around, I’ll try to stay as far away as possible from people that are sick,” said Zajac, who regularly gets the flu shot. “But I’ll usually get scared that I’ll miss something important and go to class anyways.”
