More than 1,200 Fairhope students absent as health department investigates stomach bug Health officials are warning about a highly contagious and nasty stomach bug that's spreading right now. It's suspected norovirus is causing a high number of absences and one school to close for two days in Fairhope. The Alabama Department of Public Health says it is investigating gastrointestinal illnesses at Fairhope East Elementary and Fairhope West Elementary.
"It is a highly, highly contagious illness. These are the types of illnesses you hear about shutting down cruise ships," said Dr. Alison Rudd, Baldwin County Public Schools Health Services Coordinator.Fairhope West Elementary School is closed Thursday and Friday after an alarming number of students and staff members became ill. On Thursday at the schools that were open, more than 1,200 kids or 30% of Fairhope students were reported absent.
"The concern that is going on in a sister county may impact because you know, the shared workforce. Mom and dad may live there and work over here. You know, if they're sick, they need to stay at home," said Michaels. Michaels says there has not been an unusual increase of norovirus cases at ERs in Mobile County, but there was norovirus outbreak in a nursing home recently. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports norovirus cases are spiking in the South right now.
"It's not unusual when you bring groups of people together and then you have one person who doesn't do the right thing and wash their hands after they go to the bathroom," said Michaels. "They don't wash their hands. They touch their mouth. They prepare food. It's disgusting. That's why we have sanitation requirements out there."