Public health officials are investigating an outbreak of unidentified illnesses at an elementary in Detroit, NBC News reported May 4.
The Detroit Public Schools Community District is closing Marcus Garvey Academy for a week to undergo deep cleaning after a kindergarten student died. The kindergartener's cause of death has not been confirmed, and it is not yet known whether it's related to the outbreak.
The Detroit Health Department warned parents and caregivers that the outbreak is mostly affecting children ages 4 to 7. The district confirmed it "has experienced an unusually high rate of flu-like symptoms including student fevers, and vomiting, namely at the early grade levels."
Kevin Dazy, MD, a pediatrician at Detroit-based Children's Hospital of Michigan, said the outbreak could be a respiratory virus.
"By no means is it unheard of that we may see another wave of any viral respiratory illness," Dr. Dazy told NBC. He noted physicians often test less for respiratory viruses during off-peak seasons, which could delay diagnoses. He added that his hospital has not seen any patients connected to the school outbreak.