96 Students Treated for Possible Food Poisoning
Dining Hall Remains Closed
Updated: Wednesday, Oct. 1, 6:23 p.m. See Thursday afternoon's update here.
Ninety-six students have been treated for possible food poisoning late Tuesday evening, prompting the university to close O'Donovan Hall until investigations are completed.
The university held a press conference in the Leavey Program Room Wednesday afternoon to answer questions and address media concerns. Following the conference, university officials held an open forum for students in nearby Sellinger Lounge to again answer questions.
At the press conference, Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson explained the university’s decision to close the dining hall Wednesday morning.
“At 12:45 am, the hospital let [Georgetown] know that they were seeing an extreme number of students with gastro-intestinal symptoms,” Olson said. “We convened a group of administrators [and] we made the decision early on to voluntarily close down the dining hall as a precaution and relocate student food service operations.”
However, at the open forum, Olson later said there are indications that the illnesses do stem from the university dining hall.
“Early evidence points to O’Donovan Hall being a common denominator here,” Olson said.
The student affairs head further said that the dining hall will remained closed until investigations are completed, and three meals a day will be offered to students with meal plans at the Center Grill in the Leavey Center. Hoya Court venues, which accept Flex Dollars, will also have extended hours in the upcoming days as a substitute for the normal Late Night option at the dining hall.
Eric Glasser, assistant hospital chief of service in the Department of Emergency Medicine, and John Davies-Cole, a state epidemiologist for the D.C. Department of Health, joined Olson at the press conference. Glasser said that, since 10:00 p.m. Tuesday night, the hospital has seen 49 cases of students with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and some dehydrations symptoms. Administering IV fluids and anti-nausea medicine were the most common forms of treatment, he added.
“The hospital had received 49 cases as of 1:30 pm [Wednesday]. None had to stay though…they were seen treated and sent home,” Glasser said.
In addition, Glasser said the university’s student health center has taken in 39 cases of students exhibiting similar symptoms, bringing the total count to 88. However, in a university broadcast email sent at 5:00 p.m., Olson reported that the total number had risen to approximately 96 students.
Glasser said that the symptoms students are exhibiting seem to be subsiding.
“Students we're seeing now are not as sick as those that we saw earlier – which is a good sign,” he said.
Davies-Cole said the investigation into the cause of the illnesses is ongoing, and could not say at this point that it is in fact food poisoning.
“Right now we don't know if it is a food-borne illness,” Davies-Cole said. “It is difficult to know if it has something to do with facilities [other than the dining hall].
As part of their investigation, the health department will be surveying affected students in conjunction with the university’s Office of Residence Life in order to better ascertain where they were eating and find the common link, Davies-Cole said, adding that he hopes to conduct this survey Wednesday evening.
In addition, Davies-Cole said the D.C. health department has been in contact with other health departments in Maryland and Virginia, but has thus far not learned of any other reported cases.
“We're trying to investigate whether [affected students] ate at places [other than the university dining hall] as well. As indicated, it is very hard for us to say where else students have eaten as well,” he said.
Early Wednesday morning, eight Georgetown students with vomiting and nausea symptoms were still waiting to be treated in the emergency room. Out of the eight, six reported that they had eaten dinner at the dining hall or had Grab ‘n’ Go for dinner, while two reported they had not eaten at O’Donovan Hall since earlier in the day or Monday evening.
According to Peggy Keller, another D.C. health department representative in attendance at the press conference, the health department is in the process of compiling information from an ongoing comprehensive environmental and food safety test.
“I would say [the test] will completed hopefully within 48 hours,” Keller said.
According to Olson, the university is collaborating closely with health officials and ARAMARK, the on-campus dining provider, and plans to maintain close contact with students throughout the investigation.
“We will assure [students] that we take food safety and their safety very seriously,” Olson said.
From the Web:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/01/AR2008100101333.html
http://www.myfoxdc.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7554063&version=9&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.1.1
http://www.wusa9.com/news/breaking/story.aspx?storyid=76745&catid=158
http://www.nbc4.com/health/17598556/detail.html
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1008/557987.html
Oct 01 2008 at 3:31 p.m.
My brother was hospitalized last night, and my sister went with him. She talked to one of the doctors, who claimed that the number of students admitted was closer to 40.
Oct 01 2008 at 4:18 p.m.
well, i always hated leo's. i never expected them to poison me. probably took one too many extra sandwich from the grab and go, and they decided revenge was in order.
Oct 01 2008 at 5:27 p.m.
is this what people pay $50,000 a year for?
Oct 01 2008 at 7:21 p.m.
I was one of those admitted to the hospital for food poisoning, and by 8AM roughly 50 students had been seen at the hospital or were in the process of being seen. Many more students decided to not go to either the ER or student health this morning after having battled the food poisoning throughout the night. As one of those stricken by the illness, I would easily estimate that the total of reported and unreported cases is somewhere in the neighborhood of 80-100 students. As I left the ER this morning, more people were waiting to be seen. This is a serious issue and the university must deal with it quickly and swiftly.
Oct 01 2008 at 9:57 p.m.
My son called this morning saying he had been up all night violently ill after eating @ Grab-n-go. He did not go to the hospital fot treatment and I suspect MANY other students did the same. After seeing this report, I suspect the number of students impacted by the food poisoning will break the century mark. I certainly hope the University launches a full-scale investigation to determine the cause of the outbreak. Food-poisoning is not a laughing matter, despite some of the humorous posts. If a student died as a result, everyone's take would be quite different.
I look forward to The Hoya's pursuit of the truth in this matter and the follow-up from the University to prevent this situation from occurring in the future.
Sincerely,
Rich Forslund
Oct 01 2008 at 11:47 p.m.
I was a former Aramark employee who can tell you one thing. If the data suggests that the food illness came from the new "Organic to Go" program at Leo's Grab & Go, you will have a major lawsuit on your hands. That program was not specified or approved by Aramark corporate and the managers at the location were warned not to use it. This was a program designed to keep the President of Georgetown happy because he loves the Green & Organic programs and hates Aramark. While I don't agree with Aramark's policies, I know that senior corporate management did not want that organic program at Georgetown, but the local managers and the president of the university applied a lot of pressure to make it happen without the proper research.
Oct 02 2008 at 12:25 a.m.
Whistleblower,
Please contact editor@thehoya.com.
Thanks very much,
Bailey
Oct 02 2008 at 1:34 a.m.
looks like it might not be the organic program after all...the hoya wrap is popular and made news in other media articles around dc when they asked students what they ate. it was probably the chicken in the wrap. if it is the chicken they will trace it back to the company they purchased it from. unless they let it expire at leo's before they cooked it...that will be the million dollar question i guess
Oct 02 2008 at 5:10 a.m.
I bet a sick employee at Leo's didn't wash his hands and now it is spreading like wildfire. In the downstairs men's at Leo's restroom there is only one functional soap dispenser, mounted on the wall on the far right side of the row of sinks. How much do you want to bet these guys don't wash their hands?
Oct 02 2008 at 11:32 a.m.
not only do they probably not wash their hands, they are always outside smoking cigs.
Oct 02 2008 at 12:47 p.m.
I am quite disturbed by the recent comments placing blame on workers. Blaming people who cook our food while getting treated like crap from management and students alike is a sad mistake, and just goes to show how many students at Georgetown display an attitude of elitism and entitlement. The food illnesses were probably borne from bad meat, irrelevant to cooking preparations. I would like us to consider how many Leo's workers got sick from this incident, and how they are receiving help in this situation - do they even have health coverage? Are cooks and other Leo's workers who are not in Leavey getting paid while the cafeteria is closed?
Some important things to consider rather than channeling misdirected anger into blame.
Oct 02 2008 at 1:40 p.m.
I remember when I was at georgetown that a lot of friends on the various sports teams would all eat at the cafeteria together in the evenings. Any word if this food poisoning epidemic hit any of our student athletes in mass? Would hate to see this wipe out some team's season, especially with being in the middle of the season for our fall sports teams.
Oct 02 2008 at 2:05 p.m.
i would not worry about the workers. yes it is unfortunate that some will miss work but my cousin has worked there for 10 years. most of the senior employees make anywhere from 15-20 dollars an hour with very little education. for cooks in dc, that is a very high rate. they have health care and also get plenty of time off. my cousin gets 2 weeks off at x-mas & both spring breaks and the summer (if he wants). the only poor treatment he gets is from the students.
Oct 02 2008 at 5:20 p.m.
Concerning the comment about food workers at Georgetown: First of all, I have seen rudeness and disrespect by many workers toward students, as I'm sure you have seen it the other way around. The point is, that regardless of how courteous your clients are in any food industry it doesn't diminish the food workers responsibility to protect the public. If the outbreak proves beyond control of the workers, all the better, but if there was something they could have done to prevent it, of course it should be investigated.
Oct 02 2008 at 5:32 p.m.
the food is so bad anyway. fire them all and get a new contractor.
Oct 02 2008 at 5:58 p.m.
Margie Bryant, head of Auxiliary Services, is again sitting on top of a giant mess. When will SOMEONE do what needs to be done and get rid of this inept, careless woman who does not hold Georgetown students as a top priority. Can the Hoya please cover her office and the role it has played in countless University failures? You can find her in her office sometimes, or by calling the ReMax office, where she spends a good deal of time working as a real estate agent.
There are a lot of news stories and editorials about campus problems. Look towards her office for a good number of answers.
Oct 02 2008 at 7:11 p.m.
The workers at Georgetown are not the cause of the outbreak and should not be blamed for the illnesses occurring. If anything - they are probably suffering & sick as well. They take pride in the work they do & want to do a good job just like anyone else at any other job. They aren't "out to get us" or "trying" to make life harder for anyone.
Take a second and talk to the workers at Leo's and ask them about their days off, their kids, where they come from, what their dreams are for the future. Many of them have been working at Georgetown for over 10 years and have so much to share.
Oct 02 2008 at 7:53 p.m.
The whole debate regarding the workers seems to be nothing more than egregious speculation by both sides. It is dumb to assume, likely from disgustingly classist position, that it was assuredly those "dirty workers" poisoning the food. It could have been any number of things. On the other hand, will people please stop telling me to talk to workers about their children? The workers deserve decent pay and benefits, but that doesn't mean someone didn't forget to wash their hands or that someone wasn't working while sick.
Oct 02 2008 at 8:24 p.m.
quiet down commie
Oct 02 2008 at 9:13 p.m.
Good luck all of you ... sounds like the Norovirus has taken over the campus. Hope they scrub down everything super well with bleach. Remember the BRAT diet ... bananas, rice, applesauce and tea. That will surely help!
Oct 02 2008 at 9:18 p.m.
This debate is a bunch of reactionary Georgetown kids blaming Leo's staff arguing with a bunch of nonsense "solidarity" Georgetown kids touting the virtues of Leo's staff members' children, while all along, the University administration slips by like always.
Blame DPS, blame Leo's workers, blame local zoning laws, blame doorknobs, blame Metro, blame the neighbors, and as always, BLAME STUDENTS. I mean, hey, this is contagious, so most of these students probably got it from another!
Stop talking about Leo's staff and look at who's actually in charge of the place that brought in the contaminated food.
Oct 02 2008 at 10:58 p.m.
People working with food who are sick with norovirus gastroenteritis are a particular risk to others, because they handle the food and drink many other people will consume. Since the virus is so small, a sick food handler can easily – without meaning to – contaminate the food he or she is handling. Many of those eating the contaminated food may become ill, causing an outbreak.
Outbreaks of norovirus gastroenteritis have taken place in restaurants, cruise ships, nursing homes, hospitals, schools, banquet halls, summer camps, and family dinners – in other words, places where often people have consumed water and/or food prepared or handled by others. It is estimated that as many as half of all food-related outbreaks of illness may be caused by norovirus. In many of these cases, sick food handlers were thought to be implicated.
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Mar 19 2009 at 9:55 a.m.
sick food handler can easily – without meaning to – contaminate the food he or she is handling. Many of those eating the contaminated food may become ill, causing an outbreak.
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Mar 19 2009 at 12:30 p.m.
College and university students often become victims of food poisoning.
Mar 20 2009 at 10:24 a.m.
Any word if this food poisoning epidemic hit any of our student athletes in mass?
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Mar 29 2009 at 6:51 p.m.
As I left the ER this morning, more people were waiting to be seen. This is a serious issue and the university must deal with it quickly and swiftly.
Mar 31 2009 at 1:56 p.m.
Since the virus is so small, a sick food handler can easily – without meaning to – contaminate the food he or she is handling. Many of those eating the contaminated food may become ill, causing an outbreak.
Apr 27 2009 at 2:37 p.m.
How possible in so great university Food Poisoning?
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Apr 28 2009 at 4:48 p.m.
I'm guessing it's easier than you might think. I can remember my brother and many other of his classmates becoming ill because one of the chefs was suffereing from illness (although that was only the apparent reason).
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