Dozens sick after eating at U. dining halls

But other ill students had eaten elsewhere. Penn officials blame an influenza-like bug. and Danielle Lewin An outbreak of nausea and vomiting that many students charge was linked to tainted food in the three main University dining halls struck at least three dozen people Tuesday night, though the actual total could be almost twice that. Penn officials disputed the food-poisoning claims, saying the illnesses were likely the result of an influenza-like bug. The exact number of victims is unclear, with official and unofficial tallies varying wildly. University spokesperson Ken Wildes said last night that 30 to 35 students visited Student Health Services or the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and several more called to ask for medical advice. Many also suffered symptoms but did not seek medical advice, students said last night. University and Philadelphia public-health officials are investigating the maladies, Wildes said. The bulk of the illness reports came from Hill College House, where some residents estimated that as many as 50 students had become sick since dinner Tuesday night. At least a dozen more students from other parts of campus reported similar symptoms, many students said. "There's no common thread that would tie [the illnesses] to food," Wildes said. "The thinking now is that it is not food-related. It's some sort of a viral infection." Additionally, there was no one food that all the sick students ate. Many sick students, however, said their doctors told them it was food poisoning. Wildes said laboratory tests to determine the source of the illnesses are already underway, and results will be back in a few days. According to people who were at HUP's emergency room Tuesday night, there were at least 11 people in the waiting room with food-poisoning symptoms. Students reported many symptoms, including vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, fevers and headaches. In addition to Hill, several students who had eaten Tuesday night in Stouffer Dining Commons and Class of 1920 Commons said they had gotten severely ill in the 24 hours following dinner. Officials at Dining Services refused to comment, referring calls to Wildes. Wildes said several students who had not eaten at the dining halls also reported similar symptoms, which he cited as evidence that the illnesses were not from food poisoning. Most of the sick students seem to have been from Hill, where resident Andy Schaps, an Engineering junior, said up to 50 Hill residents were showing symptoms of food-poisoning, though not all had gone to the hospital. Hill Faculty Master James O'Donnell said many students in his residence had become sick, but he had not received an exact count. Hill House Dean Tracy Feld also sent an e-mail to all 540 residents urging students who felt sick to seek medical attention. One Hill resident who fell victim to the malady, College sophomore Seth Scanlon, said doctors told him that "dozens and dozens" of students came in throughout the night complaining of similar symptoms. Several graduate associates at Hill confirmed that many students in their suites had been hospitalized. Scanlon said he was feeling nauseous and threw up for two hours before he decided to go to HUP. Once there, doctors gave him antibiotics and an intravenous saline solution to hydrate him. He stayed in the ER for more than 12 hours. Other students reported similar treatment. "It was pretty bad," Scanlon said. "I didn't think I could keep anything down." Another Hill House resident, who requested anonymity, said she was "in excruciating pain" and "was throwing up for two hours." Scanlon said the doctors had ordered him to stay away from solid foods for 24 hours, and then to stick with bland foods like rice or applesauce for several days. In addition to the students from Hill, there were several confirmed cases in the Quadrangle and the high rises. College sophomore Nick Kruse, a Hill resident, said he went to Student Health yesterday morning and saw several other students with similar symptoms. During his four-hour stay, more and more students were arriving and several additional doctors showed up to handle the tide, Kruse said. Daily Pennsylvanian staff writer Jeremy Reiss contributed to this report.