Illness outbreak closes Del Mar school

Sage Canyon School in the Del Mar Union School District is closed for the day Friday, because of an outbreak of nausea and vomiting due to a suspected virus.

The symptoms were likely the result of norovirus, a common gastrointestinal ailment that can cause nausea and vomiting, as well as fever and diarrhea, said Eric McDonald, medical director for epidemiology and immunization services for County Public Health Services.

McDonald said the outbreak started Monday when about 20 students at the Sage Canyon campus called in sick, and had escalated by Thursday when more than 100 students were absent. Some students came to school apparently well, but became ill during the day, he said. The increase in illness led school officials to cancel classes on Friday, he said.

“With the number of students and teachers that were ill, they felt that it would be best to have a day off, going into three-day weekend,” he said. “They felt that would give them a good chance of decreasing the spread, and do another cleanup of the school.”

Norovirus is highly contagious, he said, so people exposed to an outbreak are urged to stay home, wash their hands, and avoid preparing food while ill. The illness usually resolves within about two days, but can cause complications if patients become dehydrated. People with diarrhea should stay home an extra two days after their symptoms subside, he said.

School officials could not be reached for comment, but issued a statement about the outbreak. Over the weekend district staff will thoroughly disinfect and sanitize the campus, from classrooms to common areas, including air filters, hard surfaces, and carpets, according to the statement.

Sage Canyon School will reopen on Tuesday, after the Memorial Day holiday. All other Del Mar Union School District schools remained open on Friday.