Harvard said it had contacted the Centers for Disease Control, but state officials indicated they had officially called for help with the investigation.
"CDC has been asked to assist in an investigation," CDC spokesperson Bob Howard said yesterday. "If a state wants aid or assistance, they ask and we become involved. We're sort of the 911 of the public health apparatus."
Howard promised that the CDC investigator will provide Harvard with aggressive "shoe leather epidemiology."
Chuck Krause, an official with the Environmental Health and Safety office, said ventilation systems in the Yard and the Union had been checked, but there was no evidence that anything in the air had caused the epidemic.
Workers at the Freshman Union--who spoke on condition of anonymity because they said they were instructed not to talk with reporters--said they were shocked by the news. All of the workers eat the same meals as students, and only one has so far turned up ill, according to the workers and Berry.
"I was totally shocked," said one dining hall workers. "We eat the same meals, but no one I know of is sick."
Missed Exams
An undetermined number of students missed an exam yesterday in Social Analysis 10, Harvard's largest class. Some section leaders in "Ec 10" began the exam period by offering any sick students the opportunity to delay their tests. Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth S. Nathans sent electronic mail explaining the epidemic to academic departments with problems sets and bests scheduled for yesterday and today.
"Clearly these students have been in no condition to complete work they anticipated doing on the evening of [December 6] and cannot reasonably or appropriately be expected to attend classes on [December 7]," the e-mail message said. "Those who remain in Stillman on IVs will probably be unable to complete work due [December 8] as well."
The Stillman Infirmary did not have enough beds for the crush of students. A dozen beds were set up in the UHS library and 10 were added in the solarium, according to Harvard spokesperson Joe Wrinn. In addition, three cots were set up in a storage area on the third, floor, Wrinn said.
A UHS source said last night that while the health service seemed to respond well to the epidemic, the overflow crowds and lack of beds highlighted problems. The source noted that financial considerations have forced Rosenthal to reduce the number of medical staff by attrition.
UHS doctors and nurses were discussing the epidemic as a case of food poisoning, the source said.
Confusion marked parts of yesterday's operations. While the University advertised two UHS "hot lines" for clinical and administrative information, health service employees answering the phone at those numbers had no information and no idea they were hot lines. "I'm afraid I'm not very hot," a staff member at one of the lines said.
Precautions
The Union closed for breakfast but re-opened for lunch and dinner, contrary to some reports on TV news. The kitchen was not used yesterday, and food served in the first-year dining hall was prepared at a separate facility at 80 JFK St.
To prevent contamination, meals at the Union were wrapped in cellophane and served in sanitized, plastic containers. Only canned drinks were available.
Traffic was light at the Union, however, as many first-years opted to dine at local restaurants or the house dining halls. "We've all been sick with colds so there is no way we will risk our stomachs as well," said Jocelyn M. Walker '98, who ate dinner at Chili's with five of her friends.
Elizabeth T. Bangs, Marios, V. Broustas, Joshua L. Kaufman, Joe Mathews and Rajath Shourie contributed to this report.