Victoria conference interrupted by vomit and other unpleasant symptoms
Last weekend, a strain of norovirus interrupted the Canadian University Press (CUP) conference, which was being held in Victoria. The flu affected a total of seven members of The Peak, out of the 18 representatives in attendance. The last count by CUP suggested a total of approximately 60 infections between CUP staff and representatives from university newspapers across Canada, with sources indicating upwards of 130 based on more recent counts.
The norovirus, a highly contagious virus especially prominent in winter months, broght with it symptoms that Peak sports editor, Adam Ovenell-Carter, described as “Violent . . . It hurt more than anything.”
The virus first appeared late on Saturday. The initial soruce of the virus is not currently known, but authorities believe that it was brought in by someone already carrying the virus, likely not involved in the conference, who subsequently spread it from there.
“It doesn’t look like it originated in the hotel and it wasn’t likely food-related. [The Vancouver Island Health Authority] indicated it was most likely brought in by someone and then passed around pretty quickly from there,” said CUP national bureau chief Emma Godmere, making reference to the disproven initial suspicions of the illness being the result of food poisoning.
Although the initial source of the norovirus is not known, its effects quickly became evident, leading to the cancellation of the gala event being held Saturday night as part of the conference, in order to return those attending back to the hotel while the cause of the illness was investigated. By midnight, officials from CUP had contacted a doctor affiliated with B.C. Health who determined that the illness was norovirus.
As the students returned to the hotel, and the extent of the outbreak became evident, paramedics were brought to the hotel. Over the course of the night, multiple students were brought to hospital for treatment relating to dehydration, which proved to be the most severe effect of the virus.
In response to the number of the sick within the hotel, staff of both the CUP and the hotel brought Tylenol and Gatorade to those suffering from the virus, doing what they could to help them with their illness, and in maintaining hydration. In addition to that, hotel staff was charged with maintaining rooms. “I give them full credit, it doesn’t look good on them to have a norovirus outbreak in the hotel, and they did pretty well,” said Ovenell-Carter. However, this did lead to some of the hotel staff coming down with the virus as well, though at present this appears to be the closest the virus has come to spreading beyond the hotel walls. The hotel also allowed those who were ill to stay a day beyond their initial reservation in order to recover before leaving.
The efforts of CUP and the hotel proved effective in the situation, allowing for the norovirus to leave as quickly as it had come while limiting the damage it did. This was helped by the relatively brief timeframe that characterizes the virus itself, with the major symptoms lasting for only a day or two. This ensured that it didn’t manage to get more severe than the cases of dehydration, and as Ovenell-Carter characterized it: “It’s nothing really serious, it comes and goes in a couple days, it just sucks while you have it.”
