France - An epidemic of unknown origin is affecting 400 students at the same school near Perpignan - symptoms suggesting gastroenteritis - Norovirus

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An epidemic of unknown origin is affecting 400 students at the same school near Perpignan.

Nearly 400 students at the Jules-Verne middle school in Le Soler, in the Pyrénées-Orientales, have contracted the same symptoms since Friday, December 5, 2025. Some have even been hospitalized, without it being known precisely, at this stage, what the cause of this contamination is.

By AFP
Published:
December 9, 2025 at 7:30 AM

Some 400 students at a college in the Pyrénées-Orientales have suffered from symptoms suggesting gastroenteritis since Friday, December 5, with the illness now affecting dozens of parents, the mayor of Le Soler, the municipality concerned, indicated on Monday.

From Friday morning, December 5, "ten students from the Jules-Verne middle school were sick. They started to have vomiting, headaches, stomach aches and we started to get a little worried ," explained the mayor, Armelle Revel-Fourcade, specifying that these ten cases had been reported to the Regional Health Agency (ARS).

Evacuation of the school

On Friday afternoon, "the principal decided to evacuate the school and the ARS came to take water samples," then "on Friday evening about fifty children went to the emergency room because the situation was worsening, and we had about 200 sick students ," Ms. Revel-Fourcade further specified.

On Saturday, thirteen middle school students were hospitalized for rehydration. By Monday, none of them were hospitalized. "However, since yesterday (Sunday), the parents of sick children have become ill themselves. Since this morning, we've had a huge number of parents informing us that their children are sick and have the same symptoms ," according to the mayor of Le Soler.

"It's winter and traffic is flowing."

For its part, the Regional Health Agency (ARS) announced that "initial results reveal no non-conformities in the water samples taken from several locations within and near the school ." The mayor of Le Soler, a town of 8,000 inhabitants near Perpignan, is requesting additional samples be taken from the school cafeteria's water fountains.

The school reopened Monday morning after being disinfected around 6 a.m. A crisis team comprised of representatives from the Regional Health Agency (ARS), the gendarmerie, the municipal police, and the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations (DDPP) met there. The DDPP was to take samples from the sample meals served Thursday and Friday at lunchtime, the mayor of Le Soler added.

https://www.lunion.fr/id770610/arti...ue-touche-400-eleves-dun-meme-college-pres-de

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Flash outbreak at the Soler middle school: authorities favor the hypothesis of a virus, rather than food poisoning


François David
Published on Monday, December 8, 2025 at 7:47 PM

A highly contagious virus could be the cause of the 400 cases of illness recorded since Friday at the Jules Verne school in Le Soler.

Authorities are now clearly favoring a virus, rather than food poisoning, to explain the wave of illnesses that has affected the Jules Verne middle school in Le Soler since Friday. According to the Pyrénées-Orientales prefecture, this hypothesis is strengthened by the fact that many parents and relatives of students developed the same symptoms over the weekend.

In total, approximately 400 people have been identified as ill , including students, their family members, school staff, and several teachers. The symptoms are consistently the same: nausea, vomiting, and headaches. Thirteen children were hospitalized for rehydration, but all have since been discharged, and no serious cases have been reported.

To ensure continuity of schooling, authorities remind everyone that sick students must stay home. Enhanced disinfection has been carried out by the technical teams of the Departmental Council, and preventative measures are recommended. The school will also set up a psychological support unit starting this Tuesday.

Several analyses are underway.

Initial analyses have not identified the exact origin of the outbreak, but several leads have been investigated. The mains water supply has been tested and no anomalies were found. Samples have been taken from patient zero; the results are expected mid-week. The control meals served on December 4th and 5th are currently being analyzed, as are the water fountains. The results will be communicated as soon as they are available.

The school reopened on Monday , but most students were absent : only about fifty showed up out of the 600 registered. With the kitchens closed, only cold lunches were offered, and masks and hand sanitizer were available. In some classrooms, there were only two or three students. A few parents even came to pick up their children during the morning


https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/edu...n-virus-privilegiee-par-les-autorites-1685365
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Perpignan, December 11, 2025

PRESS RELEASE

New Health Update
Jules Verne Middle School – Le Soler Municipality

On Friday, December 5, several students at Jules Verne Middle School in Le Soler presented with
symptoms of vomiting and headaches. On Monday, December 8, approximately 300 people
were identified as having similar symptoms, quickly impacting middle school students
as well as their family members, school staff, and teachers, to varying degrees
from one person to another. As indicated at the beginning of the week, no serious cases have
been observed. No children have been hospitalized in this context since last weekend.

From the first reports, all state services, the National Education system, the Departmental Council, the municipality of Le Soler, and local healthcare providers were mobilized to ensure the care and epidemiological monitoring of those affected, to conduct the necessary investigations to identify the origin and circumstances of this incident, and to ensure the continuity of schooling within this educational institution.

Epidemiological Survey

To date, 414 people have responded to the online epidemiological survey:

- The majority of those affected reported clinical symptoms between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. on December 5th.

- The four most frequently reported symptoms were: fatigue (91%), nausea (90%), abdominal pain (89%), and vomiting (85% of cases).

- The median reported duration of these symptoms was 2 days (191 people reported having recovered by the date of the questionnaire).

Given the dynamics of the cases, the symptoms, and the rapid resolution of the illness,
this epidemiological investigation concludes that the most likely hypothesis is a norovirus foodborne illness outbreak.

Partial results of ongoing analyses

In accordance with the protocols established for this type of situation, the investigations undertaken in response to this health crisis have yielded the following analyses and results:

• Water networks: the initial results communicated by the Regional Health Agency (ARS) on Sunday ruled out the water supply as a possible cause, as no non-compliance was found in the network. Further analyses conducted on the water fountains revealed no bacterial contamination at the sampling points within the establishment.

• School meals: Samples of control meals served to students on December 4 and 5 were analyzed, and a health inspection of the kitchen and cafeteria was conducted by the Departmental Directorate for Population Protection (DDPP). The preliminary results currently available do not show any exceedances of the bacteriological indicators most frequently associated with this type of event. Final results are expected on Friday.

• Patient stool cultures: Bacteriological examination of stool samples from sick individuals identified norovirus. In France, noroviruses are the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis across all age groups. These results therefore appear to confirm, at this stage, the hypothesis of a norovirus foodborne illness outbreak, without any serious cases.

Current Health Recommendations

Constant health monitoring is being maintained within the school to ensure the
conditions for continued learning (more than 120 students had already returned to classes by the middle of this
week).

These health measures mobilized the technical teams of the Departmental Council last weekend to ensure enhanced disinfection on site.

It is essential that the health guidelines given to parents continue to be
followed (students who are still symptomatic must stay home).

The authorities also urge all students and their families, both within the school community and at home, to remain vigilant in applying
barrier gestures (such as regularly washing hands and soiled surfaces). These are
simple and essential protective measures for everyone, especially during this period which fosters
numerous winter epidemics.


https://www.occitanie.ars.sante.fr/system/files/2025-12/Communiqu%C3%A9%20de%20presse%20-%20Point%20de%20situation%203_Coll%C3%A8ge%20du%20 Soler.pdf
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