Highly Contagious Gastrointestinal Illness Shuts Down Alabama School District
An outbreak of a highly contagious gastrointestinal illness has forced the closure of an entire school district in Alabama. Over 1,200 students were absent on Wednesday as the virus rapidly spread through the student body. The majority of the infected children came from Fairhope West Elementary, prompting the closure of the school for the remainder of the week.
The decision to shut down the school was made in order to allow the state Department of Public Health to investigate the outbreak and contain the contagion. Baldwin County Public Schools Superintendent Eddie Tyler expressed his regret in a letter to parents, stating, “Due to the amount of staff and students who are absent, the number who are experiencing symptoms, and in an effort to help contain the contagion, we unfortunately need to shut the building down.”
Fairhope West Elementary was hit particularly hard by the illness, with only two dozen students reporting sick on Tuesday. However, this number drastically escalated overnight, with 700 students absent from the school on Wednesday. Health officials have not yet identified the specific virus responsible for the outbreak, referring to it only as a “gastrointestinal outbreak.” Symptoms reported by affected students and staff include nausea, vomiting, and rapid onset of illness.
In addition to Fairhope West Elementary, several hundred students from other nearby schools also missed class on Wednesday due to the outbreak. As a precautionary measure, other schools in the district urged parents to keep their children at home if possible. While health officials have not formally identified the virus as norovirus, they are treating it as such.
Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), anyone can become infected and sick with norovirus. It spreads easily through shared food and water, as well as contaminated surfaces.
In response to the outbreak, the school district has announced that a deep cleaning of Fairhope West Elementary will be conducted while the school remains closed. This thorough sanitization process aims to ensure that when students return next week, the environment will be as clean and safe as possible.
As the investigation continues, health officials are working diligently to identify the source of the outbreak and prevent further spread of the virus. The closure of the entire school district serves as a reminder of the importance of practicing good hygiene and taking necessary precautions to prevent the transmission of contagious illnesses.