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A freshman at the University of Maryland, College Park, died Sunday of adenovirus-related complications, and her family wonders if the university – which has seen several cases of the disease – could have done more to prevent his death.
Olivia Paregol, an 18-year-old girl from Glenwood, Howard County, has been ill since the beginning of the semester, when she began to cough. Then her condition worsened – she contracted pneumonia, left school and was taken to emergency several times before dying at Johns Hopkins Hospital, said her father, Ian Paregol .
According to the university, six cases of "adenovirus-associated disease" have been confirmed on the College Park campus. The virus, which has more than 50 strains, can cause diseases ranging from colds to pneumonia. Fever, diarrhea, intestinal infections and neurological diseases are also possible, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Adenovirus-related serious diseases are rare, but they are more common in people with compromised immune systems, according to the CDC. Olivia was at risk because the medication she was taking to fight her Crohn's disease weakened her immune system, her father said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Maryland Department of Health and the Prince George County Department of Health are investigating the epidemic on campus. Brian Bachus, head of the epidemic investigation division of the state's health department, said the state health department had been informed of the outbreak of the campus on November 12 after the Prince George County Health Department reported it to his team.
It is not uncommon for a university to experience an adenovirus outbreak at this time of year, he said.
"We do not always know when there is an epidemic on campus because people consult different doctors," said Bachus. "It probably happens more often than we know."
Paregol said her daughter had a cough several weeks into the semester, her first on campus at College Park, where she was studying criminology. She visited the university health center several times as her condition became more serious, he said.
Paregol said he was trying to figure out if his condition was worsened by an epidemic of mold on campus this fall. Olivia lived in Elkton Hall, one of the dormitories where students were evacuated so that teams could treat the buildings against mold.
"Every child in this dormitory is sick," said Paregol.
In response to the Baltimore Sun's questions about Olivia's death and her family's concerns, University of Maryland officials sent a letter Tuesday to students of the University's director of health, Dr. David McBride . The letter indicates that the university learned the first case of adenovirus on November 1 and that since then, five other cases have been reported. On Monday, the university learned that the CDC had identified a case as being adenovirus 7, a strain that could cause a more serious illness, the letter says.
"Vigilance is extremely important for people with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes or diseases that weaken your immune system or if you take medications that weaken your immune system," McBride said in his statement. letter. "It is vitally important not to ignore these symptoms and consult a doctor within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms."
McBride was not available for any other comments.
In an adenovirus FAQ on the University Health Center website, he said there was no clear link between the presence of mold in the dormitories and the adenovirus.
"While it is true that mold can cause irritation of the respiratory tract and make individuals more vulnerable to viral infections in general, cases of adenovirus-associated disease on campus have been observed in both living on campus and off campus and in residence students. moldy and not, "says the FAQ. "As such, it seems that there is no consistent link between mold exposure and incidents of adenovirus infection affecting UMD students."
In addition to mold, Paregol is more worried about whether the university knew that there were students with adenovirus on campus before her daughter contracted the disease, especially because she was traveling frequently at the health center and that the medicine Humira she was taking was inhibiting her immune system. Paregol said the health center should have known that Olivia was in danger because the center had received and distributed her Humira.
When Olivia had a fever, Paregol became more worried. On October 31, she left school to rest at home and then went to see her doctor at home on November 5th. Pneumonia was diagnosed during a visit to the ER on November 6th. She returned to the emergency room on November 9, Paregol said.
"Her left lung was completely white with pneumonia," Paregol said. "From there, if it's getting worse."
On November 12, she was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Paregol said.
Paregol said he called the university to get information on the mold on campus to determine if it could affect Olivia's condition. Eventually, he said, he spoke to McBride and the university finally passed on to Hopkins' doctors information about adenovirus cases on campus. She was then tested positive for adenovirus.
"If they would have known a week earlier, I think there would have been a different result," Paregol said. "That would never have happened."
Paregol said that his daughter was "simply the kindest girl" – the guy who, from elementary school to university, had taken newcomers and strangers under his wing.
"She's tied up with everyone," said Ian Paregol. "If there were new children, she would bring it somehow and make sure that this child is not alone."
The youngest of the three siblings, Olivia was a free spirit with a penchant for making laughter, said Paregol.
"She liked being like a quiet lady," he said.
Paregol said his family would try to go through the next few weeks before having deeper conversations with the university. But he said he had already encouraged the school's health center to urge students to be examined by their doctors during their Thanksgiving holiday. He hopes this will prevent other families from experiencing the same pain, he said.
To stop the spread of adenovirus, the university health center, residential buildings, transportation services, recreation centers and the student association are stepping up the clean-up operations of "heavily affected areas" and toilet, according to the health center. And the school's catering services change utensils in self-service every 15 minutes.
The CDC and the Prince George County Department of Health did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
Paregol claimed to have seen Olivia's photos while her family was preparing for her services.
"It's just to kill me," he says. "But on every picture, she's just looking at her brother and sister. She is just clumsy, lively and playful. "
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