John Adams Middle School Closes Because of Possible Norovirus Outbreak

SANTA MONICA, CA -- School officials have closed John Adams Middle School on Friday because of a possible outbreak of Norovirus.

The closure allows crews scrub surfaces in an effort to eradicate any traces of the gastrointestinal Norovirus, to which close to 190 seventh-grade students from the school were exposed while on a 5-day trip to Yosemite National Park.

"After careful consideration and in adherence with the recommendation by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, we will be closing JAMS tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 3 and canceling this year’s trip to Astro Camp," JAMS principal Steve Richardson said in an email to parents.

All school activities on campus are being canceled from Friday to Sunday, save for field sports, he said.

Students who were on the Yosemite trip returned to Santa Monica on Friday but did not return to school until Monday. The district said it is working to identify the extent of the illness.

As of Thursday night, 80 students and 10 teachers were ill with possible Norovirus, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District spokeswoman Gail Pinsker said.

"The health and safety of our students and staff is our top priority and we are working closely with Los Angeles Department of Public Health to institute control measures in order to help prevent the spread of this illness," the district said in a statement.

The LACDPH believes the illness originated in Yosemite, potentially exposing students from other school districts, according to the SMMUSD.

Norovirus is highly contagious and the people who are carrying the virus may still feel well when the are contagious, making containment difficult, the district said.

The illness may have already infected students who were not on the trip as well as students in other schools with siblings attending JAMS, the district said.

"We have ongoing cleaning with cleansers suggested by LACDPH at JAMS, and any other classrooms and facilities where we learn of a case, and we will continue with this practice," the district said.

According to the LACDPH, symptoms of Norovirus usually begin within an hour to 48 hours after exposure. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever.

According to the LACDPH, people can become infected with gastrointestinal illnesses in some of the following ways:

• Touching surfaces or objects contaminated with the infectious agent and then placing their hands in their mouths
• Having direct contact with another person who is infected (for example, caring for someone who is ill or sharing utensils with someone who is ill)
• Eating food or drinking liquids that are contaminated with the infectious agent.

For more information on how to counteract the Norovirus, visit the LACDPH.

-- Photo courtesy of the CDC