The Bucks County Department of Health has been in contact with the Pennsbury School District following the outbreak of a “highly contagious” virus.
A nurse working with Pennsbury said in a statement posted online that the district knows of several cases of “viral gastroenteritis,” which is more commonly known as the “stomach flu.”
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“During this cold and flu season, you are faced with the decision of whether or not your child is well enough to attend school. If your child does come to school sick, the school nurse will most likely send him/her home. This will cause more disruption to your day and will spread unwanted disease to the other students and faculty,” Pennsbury nurse coordinator Kathleen McGinnis wrote in a letter.
The illness is most commonly seen in the fall and winter. The stomach flu hits the body’s digestive tract and causes inflammation to the stomach and intestines.
“Some kids will just have a stomachache and a decreased appetite, some will have just vomiting or diarrhea, and some will have the wonderful combination of both.” Dr. Barbara Frankowski of Vermont Children’s Hospital told Parenting.com.
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McGinnis said the district is “doing everything possible” to prevent the spread of the virus. The measures include disinfecting classrooms and touch surfaces with hospital-grade disinfectant. Students are also being coached on proper hand washing.
“For your child to return to school, he/she should be fever-free for 24 hours without the use of Tylenol or Motrin, eating a normal diet, and not have vomited or had diarrhea for 24 hours,” McGinnis wrote.
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The Centers for Contagious Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are between 19 million and 21 million cases of gastroenteritis-related viruses each year. On average, only a few hundred of the cases turn fatal.
