Virus Blamed for Outbreak at School

County health officials said Tuesday that a virus, not water contamination, was the probable cause of the flu-like symptoms that sent more than 200 students home from an elementary school last week.

Dr. Jonathan Fielding, the county director of public health, said a so-called Norwalk-type virus seems to be the culprit that affected almost half the students at Grace Miller elementary school. He said the virus can be spread through the air, but is most often transmitted through bad hygiene--on utensils, bath towels, and unwashed hands.

On Tuesday, students at Grace Miller were given lessons in hygiene, said Principal Lori Morris. She said 41 were absent after the long weekend, but only five of those could be attributed directly to that continuing illness.

Fielding said testing of the water supply at the school showed no contamination. He said the Norwalk-like virus causes gastrointestinal upset much like a stomach flu.