A stomach bug is crawling across campus, leaving faculty, staff and students sidelined with symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramping, putting them at risk for dehydration. 

Students on campus are catching viruses and bacterial infections left and right. Deana Perez, BSN, RN at the ACU Medical & Counseling Care Center, said “Even Taylor County’s numbers are up. It’s the whole city.” 

The bug that is bouncing around Abilene is likely norovirus, Perez said.

“It is sometimes called the ‘stomach flu’ or the ‘stomach bug.’ However, norovirus illness is not related to the flu. The flu is caused by the influenza virus,” according to the Centers for Disease Control. “Norovirus causes acute gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach or intestines.” 

Norovirus symptoms are typically short-lived, but the window of contamination lingers. After symptoms and any fever have subsided for 24 hours, it is OK to return to normal activity, CDC says.  

The contamination window extends past these 24 hours, sometimes up to a week after, so it is important to practice good hygiene. 

“Handwashing is a must, and the biggest thing is don’t touch your face,” Perez said. “Lots of times people touch surfaces and touch their faces.” 

College campuses are at high risk for an abundance of contaminated surfaces, like door handles, desks and stairwell railings. 

Along with washing hands, Perez had more simple but effective advice. 

“Be mindful and cough and sneeze into the bend of your arm to slow the spread of germ,” Perez said. 

Students who have caught the virus report feeling dehydrated, exhausted and low on energy. 

Zion Stephens, a sophomore business management major from Missouri City, experienced the virus firsthand. At times, his symptoms were so severe that he could not stand.

“It got to the point where in my dorm there’s like handicap bathrooms, and I actually, in the shower, there’s a place where you could sit, and I actually had to sit there it was that bad,” Stephens said. 

When infected, the body struggles to retain any fluid or substance, leaving the person with low energy.  

Brady Coe, a freshman kinesiology major from Allen, also caught the virus. Coe said he experienced severe symptoms leaving him out of commission for a few days. 

“I hadn’t heard about it at all,” Coe said. “I thought just I had it.”