I live in residence at a university. I came home these evening, after having been gone for about four hours, and found an ambulance in my block of dorms. Naturally, of all the 1300 people who live with me in all the different buildings, the one that has to get ill is ON MY FLOOR.

My room is at the very end of the hall, and the bathroom is in the middle. I stayed near my door and cautiously asked what had happened to the girls crowded around the washroom. My RA said, 'one of the girls got s* and passed out, but could you use the 3rd floor washroom because this one is probably smelly'.

I don't know which girl it is, but from a voice I heard volunteering to go to hospital with her, I think it's someone at the exact opposite end of the hall from me. Still, I'm very worried. Whatever she had caused her to be so s* she passed out. What could that be? Can an ordinary sv* do that? Should I be worried about catching it? I do share the same hall, tv room and washroom with her. I wash my hands obsessively, but does it do any good since she uses it too? What's the waiting period, 48 hours?