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Outbreak
Suspected Norovirus Outbreak at Discovery Elementary School
8 months ago •source gigharbornow.org
Tacoma, Washington, United States
Approximately 50 students at Discovery Elementary School in the Peninsula School District have fallen ill in what the Tacoma-Pierce County Health District suspects to be a norovirus outbreak. The school administrators first identified a potential issue on Thursday, May 8th, when an unusual number of students were absent or had to leave school early. By the following day, the number of sick students had risen to 50. Norovirus, a highly contagious disease, is known to cause symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and headaches.Upon recognizing the potential outbreak, the school district promptly informed the Tacoma-Pierce County Health District and alerted the families of Discovery Elementary School students on Friday morning. In response to the situation, the district has implemented enhanced cleaning protocols, including periodic restroom closures for additional disinfection. The school's kitchen has also been temporarily closed, with meals for students now being prepared off-site.
Although the investigation confirmed that the school kitchen was not the source of the illness, the exact origin remains uncertain. "The outbreak appears to have started outside the kitchen given the dates of some of the illnesses," stated Brett Cihon, a spokesperson for the Tacoma-Pierce County Health District. "However, it's difficult to confirm."
This incident follows another norovirus outbreak reported by the Tacoma-Pierce County Health District last fall at a restaurant in Tacoma.
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