Alaska: Dozens of students from 2 different Anchorage high schools ill with "noro-like" illness - Norovirus confirmed

[Catbird]

"Dozens of Anchorage students sickened with stomach bug

April 5, 2013

State and city health officials are investigating the outbreak of a mystery illness in at least two Anchorage high schools that caused dozens of students to call in sick or be sent home this week with symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

The hardest hit were Dimond and Service high schools, though the number of absent Anchorage School District students was unknown Friday, nor was it clear how many students reported similar symptoms or if other schools had seen outbreaks, too, a school district spokeswoman said.

Friday alone, school nurses across the district sent home as many as 80 students with roughly the same symptoms, from what Nancy Edtl, the Anchorage School District's head nurse, described as a "noro-like virus."...".

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Alaska: Dozens of students from 2 different Anchorage high schools ill with "noro-like" illness - Norovirus confirmed

State confirms outbreak of norovirus among Anchorage students

Published: April 10, 2013
By CASEY GROVE ? casey.grove@adn.com

State health officials say their initial suspicions were correct: Norovirus caused an outbreak of sudden nausea, vomiting and diarrhea among Anchorage high school students last week.
...
Of the five samples collected and sent to the state's Public Health Virology Lab in Fairbanks, all five tested positive for norovirus, DHSS spokesman Greg Wilkinson said.

Epidemiologist Brian Yablon said it is unclear precisely how many people have been affected, but the sickness spread quickly and caused many students to call in sick or be sent home from school, Yablon said.

"Just at those couple schools, easily over 200 total students. District-wide, the estimate would have to be several hundred, at least," Yablon said. "This is out there in the community, and it's not just an issue in the schools, and it's not for sure that it started in the schools."

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/04/10/2859951/state-confirms-outbreak-of-

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Alaska: Dozens of students from 2 different Anchorage high schools ill with "noro-like" illness - Norovirus confirmed

It has spread to my community high school - 100 miles away from Anchorage!

Within about 4 weeks we'll see the arrival of the first cruise ship(which sometimes carry Noro) passengers to the Anchorage area.

Perhaps the Noro bugs can compare notes.

.