Over 1,200 students were absent on Wednesday following a highly contagious gastrointestinal illness that swept through an Alabama school district.
The outbreak predominantly affected a single school, prompting its closure for the remainder of the week to allow the state Department of Public Health to investigate the spread of the virus among its student body.
“Due to the significant number of staff and students who are absent, the prevalence of symptoms, and to contain the contagion, we regretfully need to close the facility,” said Eddie Tyler, Superintendent of Baldwin County Public Schools, in a letter to parents.
“During this closure, we will conduct a thorough cleaning of the school premises so that when students return next week, it will be thoroughly sanitized.”
Health officials have not identified the specific virus responsible for spreading across at least four district schools, referring to it only as a “gastrointestinal outbreak.”
Students and staff affected by the illness have reported symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, with cases developing rapidly.
Fairhope West Elementary School was particularly impacted, according to school sources cited by News 5.
On Tuesday, only twenty-four students out of the school’s enrollment of 866 were absent due to sickness, a number that spiked dramatically overnight.
By Wednesday, only 145 students and half of the faculty attended classes.
Several hundred more students were absent from another nearby elementary school on Wednesday, as well as from a middle school and a high school, totaling 1,231 students affected across the district.
As a precautionary measure, other schools advised parents to keep their children at home if possible.
While not officially confirmed as norovirus, Baldwin County school officials are treating the outbreak with precautions typical for such cases.
Norovirus is highly contagious and can cause symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
It spreads easily through contaminated food and water, as well as through contact with infected surfaces.
The CDC notes that anyone can become infected with norovirus, highlighting its potential for rapid transmission in community settings like schools.
