Memorial University’s Health and Wellness clinic has been alerted to test results indicating that a student living in residence may have contracted the E. coli bacteria.
Eighteen-year-old Brook Shiner, a first-year student at Memorial University, told VOCM News she began feeling sick last week after eating at MUN’s Dining Hall. She says she has since been diagnosed with E. coli.
Memorial University says the clinic alerted them to the test results on Monday, and since then 21 students with similar symptoms have been examined and referred to Eastern Health for further testing. Of those students, eleven live in residence.
MUN’s Environmental Health and Safety department accompanied Service NL on an inspection of Gushue Hall on Monday, and no major issues were identified. The university says the inspector stated there was no obvious cause for concern and processes are in place for food safety.
Memorial says it is working with Eastern Health and Service NL to determine the cause of the illness.
Earlier Story
Memorial University is warning students of an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness, but one student who has fallen ill says the University itself is to blame.
Several cases have been presented to Student Wellness and Counselling with similar symptoms. The patients have been advised to get further testing to confirm a diagnosis. Eastern Health is leading the investigation to identify the type of gastrointestinal illness.
Brook Shiner says she began feeling sick last week after eating at MUN’s Dining Hall.
Initially, she was thought to have gastrointestinal illness. She has been off school ever since and has been in scores of pain. However, a trip to the hospital on Monday revealed some startling news; she says she was actually sick from food poisoning from E. coli in the food she ate at the University.
When asked what the University needs to do to address the issue, Shiner’s response was simple: They need to learn how to cook the food properly.
She says it has been an ongoing issue and it is affecting a lot of people.
She says MUN needs to review how food is prepared in Dining Hall and adopt new protocols to help protect people who may not be able to fend off the sickness as easily.
