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Cuyahoga County says Olmsted Falls students became sick from norovirus on D.C. field trip

Sources tell WKYC all infected students are back at school and there is no further risk.
Credit: F.P. Williams/EPA/AP
This undated Negative-stain Transmission Electron Microscopy image, provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA, shows a Norovirus, also known as the Norwalk Virus. Norovirus is a genus of viruses of the family Caliciviridae.

The Cuyahoga County Board of Health says it has figured out what made several Olmsted Falls Middle School students sick during a class field trip to Washington, D.C. last week.

According to officials, samples of fecal matter submitted to the Ohio Department of Health tested positive for norovirus, otherwise known as stomach flu. The exact source of the germs is still unknown at this time.

"We would like to thank the school officials, students, and their parents for promptly providing information earlier in the week to allow for the identification of the cause of the illness," Chris Kippes, Director of Epidemiology, Surveillance, and Informatics, said in a statement Friday.

Norovirus is extremely contagious and can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps usually lasting a day or two. Sources tell WKYC all infected students are back at school and there is no further risk.

The board of health offered these tips to avoid spreading the illness:

  • wash your hands often
  • rinse fruits and vegetables
  • cook shellfish thoroughly
  • stay home when sick and for two days after symptoms stop
  • avoid preparing food for others when sick and for two days after symptoms stop

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