If cases of mononucleosis are any measure, Bowdoin students appear to be getting along quite intimately well this year.
In the four weeks since the start of the semester, five students have already been diagnosed with what is commonly known as the "kissing disease."
This rate is uncommonly high. Usually, the health center sees 15-20 cases of mono per academic year, said Interim Director of the Health Center and Midlevel Provider Sandra Hayes.
"It's definitely a little bit higher than we've seen it in the past," Hayes said.
Out of the five confirmed cases, two students have been rushed to the emergency rooms of nearby hospitals.
Mononucleosis, or mono, is a viral infection that can be transmitted through bodily fluids such as saliva or blood.
Hayes said the students seem to be infected by the same strain of virus, a type known as the Epstein-Barr virus.
People afflicted with mono caused by this type of virus typically exhibit symptoms of fever, sore throat, and tiredness, which occur about four to six weeks after contamination.
These symptoms disappear in one to two weeks, but there is a chance the illness might return three to four months later.
However, Hayes emphasized the rarity of catching mono twice. "Only six to 10 percent ever get it again," she said.
Once a student is diagnosed, the staff of the Center urges him to rest and take Ibuprofen pain reliever for sore throat and body aches. In addition, the student is barred from playing sports for at least one month; the virus can cause swelling in the spleen, and a spleen rupture can be fatal.
The student is then told schedule standard follow-up appointments with health center professionals after a few days, two weeks, and lastly one month if all goes well.
Some students on campus have been alarmed by the recent outbreak.
The Health Education and Liaison Program (HELP), a student organization founded in 2006, has placed mono education and prevention high on its list of priorities.
"One of our main goals for this week is to find ways to address this issue," said HELP member Meaghan Maguire '08.
One of HELP's first projects is to make a poster with information about the spread and prevention of mono on the HELP bulletin board at Smith Union.
"If it's in a communal space, students are more apt to stop and read," said Maguire.
Students should go out of their way to keep from getting sick and to prevent the further spread of the illness, according to Hayes.
"I urge all students to do the healthy living lifestyle," said Hayes.
This includes getting adequate rest, avoiding the sharing of drinks or food, washing hands thoroughly and, if applicable, quitting the habit of smoking.
Maguire thinks preventative measures are now needed, partly because she has never seen mono spread this quickly on campus.
"In my four years here, there [have] always been individual cases," Maguire said. "But this is the first time an outbreak has been heard of."