Brutal stomach bug erupts in Colorado, closing down an entire school district

Enlarge / The disinfection begins. (credit: Getty | Portland Press Herald)

A violent stomach bug has exploded in Colorado's Mesa County Valley School District 51, leading to the swift shutdown of the entire district, which includes 46 schools and programs that serve more than 22,000 students.

The outbreak first struck a high school, which was closed down Thursday, November 14. In the subsequent days, the outbreak took out five other schools and led to more than 5,000 absences in others (due to either illness or fear of the outbreak). On Wednesday, November 20, district officials made the bold decision to close down the entire district through the Thanksgiving holiday.

Health officials have not officially identified the pathogen causing the outbreak but suspect it is norovirus-a highly contagious germ that causes vomiting and diarrhea, typically for one to three days. Norovirus is the leading cause of such stomach illnesses in the US.

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