1,000+ Students Out Sick at Virginia High School

“Nearly half of the student population of a Virginia high school was out of school Friday with flu-like or gastrointestinal symptoms, with an investigation into the source of the mystery outbreak underway,” NBC News reports.

Approximately 1,000 students were absent Friday from Stafford High School, with many reporting flu-like and gastrointestinal symptoms, Sandra Osborn, chief communications officer for Stafford County Public Schools, said.

The school, located in northern Virginia in the city of Fredericksburg, has an approximate enrollment of 2,100 students.

Why did 1000 plus students as well as staff at a Virginia High School just call out sick?

Why are officials not giving details about what specific illness they have?

— Dr. James E. Olsson (@DrJamesOlsson) October 23, 2022

Half of Virginia high school out sick due to flu-like, gastrointestinal symptoms in mystery outbreak https://t.co/sC2Wug02cj

— MSN (@MSN) October 24, 2022

A Virginia high school will remain open even as hundreds of students continue to stay home because of flu-like illnesses.

A district official says other schools "remain within normal absence rates." https://t.co/tW73vh5slw

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) October 25, 2022

NBC News reported:

Stafford High School is open Monday and “we are reassessing conditions this morning,” Osborn said.

A deep cleaning and disinfecting of the school was performed over the weekend, according to the district.

Osborn said other schools in the district are not seeing similar numbers of absences due to illness.

Stafford High School canceled all school-related activities and athletics over the weekend, “due to the high number of student and staff illnesses reported this week,” according to its Facebook page.

In an update Monday, the district said 670 students were absent from the school and all after school sports and activities will be canceled through Tuesday at the high school.

The district said officials investigated water fountains and meal services at the school and “do not believe there is a connection between either of those services and these illnesses.”

The school will “continue to clean vigorously each day until attendance returns to normal,” according to the update.

The investigation — conducted by the district, the Virginia Department of Health and the Rappahannock Area Health Department — has so far identified a number of students who tested positive for influenza.

“We are also seeing a pattern of gastrointestinal symptoms, which may be due to the flu or may be a separate illness,” the update said.

“The source of the illness has not yet been determined, and until we get more information we cannot make a conclusion,” the Rappahannock Area Health District said in a statement Monday.

USA Today added:

In a letter obtained by Fox 5 Washington DC, Principal Allen Hicks said: “We remain very concerned, and will continue to monitor the situation alerting you to any changes we may need to make to our operations. Our custodial staff will conduct an extensive and thorough wipe down of the entire school this evening.”

It still remains unclear how the outbreak occurred. Messages made by USA TODAY to the school were not immediately returned Monday morning. The school’s newspaper, The Smoke Signal, reported the cause of the widespread infections was an Oct. 15 homecoming dance attended by more than 1,200 students in the school cafeteria.

While cases of the seasonal flu often increase in October and peak in the winter months, an overall increase in flu activity has been reported in most of the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

One high school in the San Diego Unified School District had a similar situation earlier this month with around 1,000 absences out of 2,600 students, according to The Los Angeles Times.