Students have recently reported a spread of mono around campus, with rumors that the cafeteria, or Caf, has spread the virus.
Dr. Elle McGregor, the medical director at Samford Health Services, has seen a slight increase in cases in the past month.
“I haven’t been tallying specifically mono, but I can give a rough estimate, maybe eight,” she said. “It’s probably slightly more than we’d normally see. I wouldn’t classify it as an outbreak; outbreaks are more specifically sort of thought of when you’re kind of thinking about food-borne illness.”
Mono is a viral infection spread mainly through saliva, and can be transmitted through sharing eating utensils or drinking out of another person’s cup.
“Mono is typically caused by a virus called Epstein-Barr virus, we call it EBV,” McGregor said. “EBV is transmitted by oral secretions with intimate contact.”
The symptoms of mono are similar to the flu or a common cold.
“Typically patients with mono are going to have fever, sore throat, you might have some swollen lymph nodes, […] and in most all cases they’re going to feel some pretty notable fatigue,” McGregor said.
Since the virus is spread through intimate contact, McGregor recommends avoiding eating and drinking after others to avoid possible exposure to mono. McGregor also explained the way that the virus is transmitted.
“It’s hard to know sometimes when you have it or when you might be sharing it with someone,” she said. “Once you get exposed to it, the average time from exposure to when you develop symptoms is like four to eight weeks.”
Although rumors have circulated that the spread of the illness is due to food from the cafeteria, McGregor said these claims are unfounded.
“It wouldn’t be from the cafeteria, it’s going to be from more intimate contact, person to person,” she said. “I’m certainly not an expert in sanitation practices in the cafeteria, so I don’t know what all they do, and their specific practices, but it would take a good bit of like saliva, the saliva from someone else. It wouldn’t just be probably viral particles, it’d need to be the actual saliva with the virus, coming in contact with your mucosa in your mouth.”
The General Manager, Thomas Varytimidis, provided this statement:
“Samford University’s Health Clinic and Samford Dining would like to reassure the campus community that there is not an outbreak of mononucleosis on campus, and additionally that the sanitizing procedures for utensils and serving ware prevent pathogens from being spread in the dining hall.”
Wade Walker, Director of Business Services, explained the methods used to clean dishes in the caf.
“The equipment used to clean dishes and utensils in the Caf utilizes a detergent system as well as high water temperatures, up to 190 degrees, to remove any pathogens that may cause transmission,” he said. “There are also disposable utensils and cups available during most service times.”
Although McGregor denied being in contact with Samford dining services, Walker confirmed that he spoke with Health Services.
“I spoke to the health clinic, and they said that numbers regarding mono were not at a level to declare it an outbreak,” Walker said. “The number of cases is at a level that matches normal seasonal counts.”
Katie Gingrich, a junior communication sciences and disorders major, tested positive for mono shortly before spring break. She was not experiencing symptoms yet, but several of her friends had tested positive. She went to on-campus health services to get tested before traveling with friends on spring break.
At the clinic, the nurses told Gingrich that several people had recently come in and tested positive for mono, and the nurses believed it was sourced in the cafeteria.
“The initial nurses who pricked my finger and everything, they were just talking about how people did test positive, and then they did mention that they believed it was the Caf,” Gingrich said. “That’s why I thought I wouldn’t have it, because I hadn’t eaten in the Caf, but then it still makes sense because my roommate and a lot of girls in the dorm eat in the Caf basically daily.”
Once Gingrich saw the doctor, he also confirmed that several people had tested positive recently.
“He [the doctor] did confirm and like reiterate that it was an outbreak on campus,” Gingrich said. “He was like, ‘Yeah a lot of people are getting it, and it’s happened before.’”
Gingrich said she wished a notice had been sent out to students to warn them about the spread of mono on campus
“I feel like Samford could have like warned people or let them know if they’re like experiencing symptoms, like that that could be a real cause, especially if they already thought it was the Caf,” said Gingrich.
Gingrich’s friend, Sarah Chew, also tested positive before spring break.
“I think it’s definitely cause for concern,” Chew said. “I appreciated the way that the MedHelp people handled everything, I think they were really good and clear about everything that they told me and the information they gave, but I had wished there was maybe more of a campus-wide response because I know that other people have been testing positive too.”
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