A British Columbia school has sent its students home early for winter break. The reason: more than 25 per cent of the kids at Brentwood Park Elementary may have come down with a norovirus, the cause of what is commonly referred to as the stomach flu or gastroenteritis.
"Around 100 students did not show up for school, and then as the day was progressing, more students were becoming ill," Claudio Morelli of the Burnaby School District told CTV British Columbia.
The school in Burnaby, which is adjacent to Vancouver, is now closed until January. On Thursday, however, crews were going from one empty classroom to another cleaning up the floors, wiping the tables, and scrubbing every chair.
It's a massive job in a school with 400 students. It's made even bigger by the fact that everything the kids have touched is being cleaned not just once, but three times.
While crews are trying to make sure the kids don't become infected when they return from the holidays, some parents are trying to cope with kids who have already been infected. Some are rushing children to Burnaby Hospital, but that may make the overall health situation even worse. Health officials fear the virus could spread to the hospital itself.
Health officials say that in typical norovirus cases, people don't need to go to the emergency. People usually recover in a couple of days.
According to Glen Embree of the Fraser Health Authority, "if they have vomiting or diarrhea for more than two days or they're concerned they're getting dehydrated, they should probably seek medical attention by either contacting their physician or calling the B.C. Nurse Line for assessment."
Noroviruses, like all viral infections, do not respond to treatment with antibiotics. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramping. Noroviruses may also cause fevers, chills, headaches, and muscle pains.
It will take about 48 hours before health officials can confirm whether or not they are dealing with a norovirus outbreak.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Dag Sharman
