Norovirus Outbreak Grows: Over 350 Students At San Jose Schools Sickened

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA -- A 24-hour stomach bug outbreak in San Jose Unified School District schools continues to grow, with 368 students sickened at 14 schools since the outbreak began around May 4, district officials said Thursday.

The number is up from an estimated 250 students cited by NBC Bay Area on May 17. Since the duration of the illness is relatively brief, most of those students affected are already healthy and back in class.

District officials estimated Wednesday that more than 200 students had been sickened by the outbreak, but say the growing number of cases is driven primarily by just four schools.

So far the outbreak is only affecting students. No teachers or staff have reported catching the virus, according to the district.

To help combat the outbreak, cleaning crews have been sanitizing surfaces in common areas of the affected schools, like playgrounds, computer labs, classrooms and cafeterias.

School nurses have been educating the students on proper hand-washing habits, and a number of non-instructional school events have been canceled or postponed to limit the spread of the virus.

The symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea, which points to norovirus, according to the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, but that has not yet been confirmed by a laboratory.

Any parent with a student showing symptoms of the stomach bug is asked to keep their child home for a full 48 hours after they appear to be healthy again, since patients continue to shed the virus during that
timeframe even after they feel better.

Previous coverage: Norovirus Sickens 250 In San Jose Schools

Bay City News contributed to this report/Image via Tom Merton/Getty Images