Gastro outbreak leaves almost 100 students sick at Adelaide private school - ABC News
Updated
A gastro outbreak at one of Adelaide's elite private schools has left almost 100 students ill, with the school confirming two students have been hospitalised.
Key points:
- The school said students had presented with symptoms over the last three weeks
- A section of the school's boarding house had to be evacuated last week
- The headmaster says the school has been in contact with health authorities
The illness broke out at Prince Alfred College (PAC), east of the Adelaide CBD, with those in a section of the school's boarding house affected the most.
Headmaster Bradley Fenner said a number of students had presented with symptoms of gastroenteritis over the past three weeks.
"A number of students, particularly in the boarding house, have presented with various symptoms of gastroenteritis over the past three weeks believed to have been caused by norovirus," Mr Fenner said.
"The number has increased over the last week or so to approximately 94 students, over the three-week period.
"One student required overnight hospitalisation and another short-stay treatment."
SA Health said it was first notified three weeks ago and had been working with the school.
"The outbreak has not been controlled yet so we do expect further cases," director of SA Health's Communicable Disease Control Branch Dr Louise Flood said.
"We've been communicating with the school regularly.
"They've been taking advice from us and they've been cooperating fully."
Section of boarding house evacuated
Mr Fenner said the school had been in contact with the appropriate health authorities for advice on how to control the outbreak, which led to an evacuation at one stage last week.
"We have followed the relevant guidelines in maintaining appropriate isolation and cleaning regimes in our endeavours to limit the spread of infection and this has been effective," he said.
"Acting on the advice of the medical authorities, towards the end of last week we evacuated a section of the boarding house to assist in isolating those affected and stopping further instances."
He said arrangements were being made daily in conjunction with medical authorities and the families of those affected.
Dr Flood said the gastro outbreak had been triggered by norovirus, which is common, but said the number of cases at PAC was unusual.
"The number of cases we're getting in the school is more than we might expect," she said.
"It can be difficult to control outbreaks in confined areas such as in schools."
SA Health recommended those with the symptoms stay home and do not return until at least 48 hours after they feel better.
In a similar incident last year, a gastro outbreak at Flinders Medical Centre spread to patients and staff after health authorities confirmed a number of cases at the Adelaide hospital in October.
About 200 people were also struck down with the illness while onboard a cruise ship that docked in Brisbane at the start of January last year.
Topics: health, child-health-and-behaviour, adolescent-health, health-policy, education, adelaide-5000, sa
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