Alabama elementary school closed due to mysterious outbreak of stomach viruses, forcing 800 students and staff to stay home

An Alabama elementary school has been forced to close after nearly 800 children and half of its staff called in sick with a mysterious stomach flu.

Fairhope West Elementary – the third largest elementary school in the county – will be closed for the rest of the week as it undergoes a deep cleaning.

Concerned parents – some filmed wearing face masks – told reporters the situation was “very alarming” and that they had “never experienced this situation before”.

State health officials are now investigating the outbreak but believe it is most likely caused by norovirus, a common stomach illness that is surging in the US.

Fairhope West Elementary (pictured) is closed today and tomorrow for deep cleaning as officials try to contain the outbreak

This virus is highly contagious and is easily spread through contact with fecal-contaminated surfaces such as door handles and screens.

Patients suffer from symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea for a day or two before the symptoms disappear.

Baldwin County Schools, which operates the elementary school, said not all students and staff who were away from their desks were actually sick — and many stayed home to avoid contracting the virus.

Testing is now being conducted by the Alabama Department of Health, with swabs being distributed to patients. The results are expected to be reported within weeks.

A nearby school, Fairhope East Elementary, has also said it is recording a surge in norovirus cases – with its principal saying she is “monitoring the situation.”

Nationwide, at least two other schools have had to close due to norovirus outbreaks — including in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Last month, two schools in Dallas, Texas, also had to close due to a gastrointestinal illness.

Diego Moreno, whose son attends Fairhope West Elementary and is entering sixth grade — or 12 years old — told reporters he had to take his son to the hospital.

‘Yesterday our son vomited four or five times a night, all night long.

“And today we go to the hospital – and they told us that a lot of children are sick right now.”

So does Philis Spencer, whose grandchildren are in school told reporters: ‘(This is) very alarming, very alarming.

Diego Moreno, who has a son at school, said his child vomited four or five times during the night and they took him to the hospital.

Officials at the school believe the outbreak is caused by norovirus

“I’ve never experienced this in all the years I’ve had my own children and grandchildren, so… very alarming.”

She was also filmed wearing a face mask as she rushed to the school to pick up the youngsters.

The number of norovirus cases is increasing nationally, with 12 percent of swabs now detecting the virus, compared to 9 percent in November.

Cases are rising fastest in the South, where the percentage of swabs detecting the virus is almost 10 percent, up from seven percent last month.

And in the Northeast, where nearly 14 percent of the region’s tests came back positive for norovirus in early February — up from about 4 percent in November before the outbreak began.

These data are based on swabs taken from people in hospitals.

The above shows how the number of infections in the southern United States is increasing rapidly, although they are still below last year’s levels

The graph above shows the number of norovirus outbreaks recorded in the US this year (red line) compared to the past three years (blue shaded area)

Dr. Andrea Garcia, a gastrointestinal disease expert at the Americanal Medical Association, said yesterday: ‘Nationwide, the norovirus positivity rate has been hovering around 10 to 12.5 percent since early January.

“These cases are most common in the colder months, so late fall, winter and then early spring.”

Baldwin County Schools Superintendent Eddie Tyler said in a message to parents, “Due to the amount of staff and students who are absent, the number experiencing symptoms, and in an effort to help limit transmission, we unfortunately have to close the building down.”

‘While you’re away, We will be deep cleaning the school so that when students return next week it will be fully disinfected.

‘We understand the inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding. Please take care of yourselves and your families.”