Students at two Anne Arundel County middle school buildings were sickened by a norovirus Wednesday and again Friday, school officials said.
Students attending Severn River and Magothy middle schools — which share a campus in Arnold — plus Arnold Elementary School children whose classes are held at Severn River while a new school is constructed, reported abdominal problems and vomiting Wednesday.
The vast majority of those affected were at Severn River and Arnold, officials said, with only a few Magothy students getting sick.
Many felt the symptoms after getting home from school on Wednesday.
School crews cleaned the schools Thursday while students were off due to a scheduled teacher workday.
When students returned to classes Friday, the illnesses persisted with many students reporting to the nurse’s office, a letter sent home to parents said.
After consultation with the county Department of Health, crews will again return to the school buildings over the weekend and do an “aggressive” cleaning.
The crews, using disinfectants and cleaning products recommended by the health department, will clean all carpets, examine exhaust fans and change of air filters at the school.
As an additional precaution, devices such as Chromebooks which are touched by several students each day, will not be used until further notice.
Water drinking fountains will be cleaned more frequently, but school leaders recommended avoiding them until this wave of virus has passed.
The number of students affected was not clear, Anne Arundel County Public Schools spokesman Bob Mosier said. But a parent at the school said more than 100 called in sick Friday, which does not include those who got sick at school.
Norovirus is a fairly common and highly contagious problem, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
You can get norovirus from having direct contact with an infected person, consuming contaminated food or water, or touching contaminated surfaces then putting your unwashed hands in your mouth.
The virus spreads very easily and quickly from infected people to others, and through contaminated foods and surfaces. Outbreaks happen throughout the year, but they occur most often from November to April, the CDC website notes.
Elin Jones, a health department spokeswoman, said at this point the main prevention measure is proper hand hygiene.
“Washing with soap and water is vital,” Jones said. “And it’s important for those affected not to prepare food for others while they are infected, and to careful about the surfaces they touch.”
Severn River’s food service was inspected on Tuesday and no violations were reported, Jones said.
“So we don’t believe this is food related,” she said.
But county epidemiologists are studying the situation to determine the cause and type of norovirus involved.
The onset of illness generally comes 24 to 48 hours after exposure, Jones said.
“But it can be as quickly as 12 hours,” she added.
It usually takes 24 to 48 hours for symptoms to subside and the CDC recommends drinking lots of water to replace fluids loss from vomiting and diarrhea to prevent dehydration.
Jones stressed a person can remain infectious from the moment they feel ill until three days after symptoms subside.
“Sometimes even longer,” she said.
That is why the department and schools are urging the prevention practices at this point.
