More than 130 students at a Massachusetts elementary school were out Wednesday amid a suspected norovirus outbreak, according to Medford Public Schools.
Roberts Elementary School will be closed Thursday “due to the high volume of stomach illness cases reported,” the district said Wednesday in a letter to families. All other schools will be in session.
The school district said it consulted with the Medford Board of Health and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, noting that norovirus is very contagious and spreads quickly.
“Norovirus is so contagious because it takes very few viral particles to infect somebody,” explained Dr. Shira Doron of Tufts Medicine. “You need a very small exposure to become sick. It spreads throughout the environment very quickly because you are literally spewing it.”
Symptoms of the stomach illness, including vomiting, typically come on suddenly, school officials said.
Medford Public Schools reported over 130 absences at the elementary school, with more students and staff reporting symptoms of an upset stomach.
The Department of Public Health noted that norovirus is more common in the winter and spreads easily in crowded, indoor settings.
The state has not seen an increase in norovirus reports overall, with levels being stable for the last several months, according to the DPH.
“If you or your child is experiencing Norovirus symptoms, the Board of Health and MPS Health Services recommend that all students and staff should wait 24 hours after experiencing vomit-like symptoms before returning to school,” the district said in its letter. “The best way to avoid the spread of Norovirus is to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water; hand sanitizer is not effective.”
A deep clean will be conducted at Roberts Elementary School Thursday, and the district is working with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to make up for the lost school day.
