Schools in Overton County are closed today. Hundreds of students are sick with a stomach illness.
It’s scientific name is Norovirus, but it’s commonly known as Stomach Flu. It’s not a flu virus, but the symptoms are similar. They’re also severe, including diarrhea and vomiting. It spreads fast, and school systems on the either end of the state have closed because so many kids have gotten sick. Dr. Tim Jones is the State Epidemiologist.
“We have no real good information on why it happens in some areas rather than others. But once it’s in a region, it spreads so quickly that it’s not unusual to see it pop up in different schools or different towns in the same region. “
State education officials are watching to see if there are Norovirus outbreaks in other school systems-both for health reasons and because schools have to get permission from the state to close.
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