DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. – Some kids in Douglas County are spreading norovirus and school officials want to make sure parents are aware of the signs to prevent a larger outbreak.
At times, school officials have sent home as many as five percent of the students from Soaring Hawk Elementary due to reports of norovirus-like symptoms, Paula Hans, a spokesperson for the Douglas County School District told Denver7 Wednesday.
The school became aware of the spread of the disease late last week after the school nurse informed the principal that there was a reported increase in norovirus-like symptoms from students over the past several days.
A plan immediately went into place to have the school deep-cleaned each night as well as increase the number of regular cleanings done at the school each day, Hans said.
Notices have been sent to parents to remind them about stopping the spread of the virus by not letting their children come back to school too soon, even if they feel all symptoms are gone.
Symptoms of norovirus include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, stomach pain, fever, headache and body aches.
Back in March, Denver’s Oakland Middle School had an outbreak of the norovirus.
The school shut down the salad bar in the cafeteria and Denver Environmental Health officials instructed school officials to do a thorough scrubbing of the entire school.
A spokesman for the department told Denver7 that parents whose children are sick should not allow them to return to school until they are symptom-free for 48 hours.
Enjoy this content? Follow Denver7 on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and download the Denver7 app on iOS and Android devices for continual access to breaking news, weather and sports.