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Norovirus Outbreak Reported At Oak Park Middle School

OAK PARK (CBSLA.com) — Oak Park Unified School District officials are reporting a norovirus outbreak at Medea Creek Middle School, Ventura County Public Health announced Monday.

On Oct. 11, 80 students were reported sick and a day later, 150 students stayed home from school. More than 90 students were also absent on Monday. However, officials say its unclear how many of students might have been kept home by their parents to avoid the outbreak.

Parents told school officials that affected children were experiencing stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea.

Ventura County Public Health and Ventura County Environmental Health are both investigating whether the outbreak is linked to a foodborne illness.

"It can be very difficult to pinpoint the exact origin of an outbreak like this," Dr. Robert Levin, Ventura County Health Officer, said in a statement. "The VCPH communicable diseases department and epidemiologists worked over the weekend to identify the cause."

Officials say anyone experiencing diarrhea and vomiting should stay home until 48 hours after their symptoms subside.

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