Stomach Flu on the Loose Among County Schoolchildren

A nagging stomach ailment that leaves sufferers tired, feverish and nauseated is striking many Orange County schoolchildren, who are passing it on to their parents and others, private and public school nurses said Wednesday.

Children returning to school probably have spread the virus, school nurses said.

“We are seeing a lot of kids in the health office with upset stomachs, headaches, fevers and some vomiting,” said Joey Van Camp, coordinating nurse for the Westminster School District.

Orange County health-care administrators said the bug hasn’t become widespread enough to come to their attention yet. But Van Camp said about two children a day are being sent home from the district’s 16 elementary and junior high schools because of the illness. The illness lasts between 48 and 72 hours.

“Stomach flu?” said Alan Trudell, a spokesman for the Garden Grove Unified School District. “Tell me about it. I’ve got it right now, and I think I got it from a friend, and she got it from her daughter.”

Two of his district’s 57 schools have reported cases, Trudell said.

Dr. Gerald Wagner, county medical director for adult and children’s health services, said he knew of no reports of unusual occurrences of stomach flu in the county. But he added that public schools are not required to report them to his office unless there are a large number or special cases needing investigation.

Meanwhile, a nurse at Pediatric Care Medical Group, a private practice in Huntington Beach, estimated that about 50% of the office’s adult and child patients in recent days have come in for treatment of flulike symptoms.

“This is a busy office because we have three pediatricians, and we’re seeing a lot of stomach flus right now,” said Marie Pacheco, a nurse-receptionist. “This seems to spread in the family between family members. Parents tell me the virus seems to get around from one kid to another, and that includes the adults as well.”

In most public school districts, student absences in the last few days have not been excessive, said Sandra Landry, health coordinator for the Orange County Department of Education.

“I don’t think the problem is any more than usual,” Landry said. “You have to understand these children have not been exposed to anything during the summer. Then all of a sudden, they’re put into a classroom situation where kids are talking to each other, touching each other, and we end up with more flu-type symptoms than summer.”

At a meeting last week of the nursing

coordinators for the county’s 27 public school districts, no mention was made of any specific health problem, Landry said. She intends to survey the coordinators at their next meeting in October.

Wagner said viruses are primarily spread from one person to another by hand-to-hand contact.

“And, of course, there is special need to remind people of the importance of hand washing to avoid spreading viruses person to person,” Wagner said.

School nurses say children with flu symptoms should stay in bed and drink fluids. To combat fever, they suggested parents give children an off-the-counter medication and, if the symptoms persist, consult a pediatrician.

“We are asking parents to please keep the child home and fever-free for at least 24 hours before returning to school,” Van Camp said. “It’s hard when parents work, and we got to tell them that Johnny’s still sick, but this way they can make child-care arrangements.”