Health officials still unsure of virus at John McIntire Elementary
ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Zanesville City Schools closed the entire district due to a large number of illnesses last Friday. Now, the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department is working to get to the bottom of what caused the kids to get sick.
The affected school was John McIntire Elementary. More than 100 students were out sick with symptoms of vomiting, nausea, and stomach pains. Jennifer Hiestand from the health department, said they are now investigating a viral illness, but they are still unsure what type of virus.
“There are a lot of rumors going around about food and Norovirus, said Hiestand. Really we are not ruling anything out at this time. Again, we’ll know more when the lab results come in, so we urge people to try and be patient with us. Those will come in this week.”
The school made the decision to close after consulting with the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department and the Ohio Department of Health.
They district had an extra calamity day to use, which allowed them to clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces.
“We provided recommendations to the school on cleaning and disinfecting the surfaces thoroughly, and we really praise them for closing school that Friday and for taking quick action to close and clean.”
124 parents and students were interviewed to try and find a common link. The health department continues to monitor the illness at John McInitre Elementary and other area school districts.
