Health officials with the Southern Nevada Health District are investigating clusters of gastrointestinal illnesses that have resulted in the closure of two Las Vegas schools, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Imagine Schools at Mountain View closed its doors Monday and Tuesday as a precautionary measure due to the number of students experiencing symptoms of possible norovirus. The move comes after Somerset Academy shutdown May 4 and May 5 due to student illness.
Dr. Eve Breier, principle of Imagine Schools at Mountain View, said approximately 10 percent of the school's 670 students called in sick Monday, according to the Review-Journal.
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Typical symptoms of norovirus include stomach pain, fever, vomiting and diarrhea. The virus can be transmitted by person-to-person contact, or contact with contaminated surfaces and food. The illness contributes to 56,000 to 71,000 hospitalizations and 570 to 800 deaths every year, according to the CDC.
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