Outbreak of Norovirus closers School.
A Humberside secondary school was forced to close for 2 days recently because of an infectious outbreak.
Students from Howden School have been sent home because of the large number of norovirus cases, which cause vomiting and diarrhoea.
In a letter to parents and carers, the headteacher Mr Cannon said: “We experienced and increase in the number of pupils suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea, consistent with the symptoms of the nororvirus, over a period of a few days ,I was advised by the Health Protection Unit that this is a mild illness caused by a virus, but that it is very infectious.”
“As there was a large number of students affected, the consequence was to make the difficult decision to close the school for two days, and we reopened at 8.40am on Thursday, November 28.”
The letter goes on to state: “If your child is affected, please ensure they are kept off school and do not return until 48 hours after the symptoms have stopped, to prevent further spread of the virus.”
The symptoms of norovirus typically begin 12 to 48 hours after exposure, lasting typically from one to three days.
The symptoms of the virus can be a combination of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
It is sometimes associated with flu-like illness, e.g. aching joints and limbs.
