By Kelly Youngblood
Were you or your child sick with a horrible stomach bug last week? If not, chances are you know someone who was.
At least one preschool in Urbana, which had half of its students out sick due to vomiting and diarrhea, considered closing for a day.
And at least one Champaign elementary school reportedly had about half of its kindergarten students at school on Friday.
Amy Lamb, a mentor/volunteer coordinator at Kenwood and Barkstall Elementary in Champaign, said she saw “several sick ones go home all week.”
Lamb said she also began to feel ill Saturday with stomach cramps, vomiting, fever, and diarrhea. Two days later, Lamb says she’s still fighting it.
“I just want to feel better so I can go about disinfecting the house of all these germs! I’m so scared the rest of the family is going to get this!” Lamb said.
We reached out to three local health care facilities last week to confirm whether a stomach bug or Norovirus, a highly contagious virus that causes acute gastroenteritis, had hit the C-U area. Only one reported back to provide us with some information.
Rachella Thompson-Brown, a communicable disease investigator at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, said while she wasn’t aware of an “unusual stomach virus” in the area, it wasn’t unlikely.
“It is not uncommon to see clusters of Norovirus around this time of year in schools, daycare, long-term facilities,” Thompson-Brown said.
“We have not closed any schools due to Norovirus,” she added.
The Champaign Public Health District provided the following information about Norovirus and how to prevent its spread.
Prevention: Washing hands well and often is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of Norovirus. Parents are also encouraged to keep their child at home if they have any symptoms. Child care workers, who are also susceptible to the virus, are asked to stay home from work if they are ill.
Symptoms: The symptoms of Norovirus include nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea accompanied by abdominal cramps. Some people also complain of headache, fever/chills and muscle aches. Symptoms usually last 1-2 days. It is usually not a serious illness, and other than drinking liquids to prevent dehydration, there is no specific treatment.
How its spread: Noroviruses are found in the stool or vomit of infected people. People can become infected in several ways including eating food or drinking liquids that are contaminated with Norovirus; touching surfaces or objects contaminated with Norovirus, and then placing their fingers in their mouth; and having direct contact with another person who is infected and showing symptoms.
For more information about Norovirus, go to http://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/.
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