The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment has declared a norovirus outbreak at Bentwood Elementary School over after 97 people fell ill.
The school, located near 129th Street and Quivira Road in south Overland Park, is part of the Olathe School District. JCDHE Director Charlie Hunt said 95 of the 97 cases occurred among students and staff inside the school, with two more among family members outside the building, KCTV5 reported. Hunt said the actual number is likely higher because of how easily norovirus spreads.
Of the 97 cases, two were confirmed through laboratory testing. The remaining 95 were considered epidemiologically linked, meaning people in the same setting reported the same symptoms around the same time, according to Fox 4.
No new cases have been reported since Oct. 13. Health officials declared the outbreak over based on the length of time since the last report.
The Olathe School District said Bentwood first saw a spike in absences with similar symptoms on Thursday, Oct. 8. Students were already off Friday, Oct. 9, for a professional development day, and the district's operations team deep-cleaned the building over that weekend. By Monday, Oct. 12, absences hit the 10% threshold that triggers contact with JCDHE, according to the district.
Two individuals later tested positive for norovirus, and JCDHE declared an outbreak, citing 82 other people who experienced similar symptoms between Oct. 8 and Oct. 14. The district and JCDHE notified Bentwood families on Monday, Oct. 19.
Bentwood parent Samantha Pedraza told KCTV5 she first heard about the outbreak through parent text messages and apps before the school's official notification. She said at least one birthday party was canceled because so many children were sick.
"I was surprised we had such a heavy amount of it so quickly," Pedraza said. "Normally, we have the flu comes through, cold, things like that but it never usually balloons that fast or takes out that many kids at a time …"
Hunt said Johnson County sees between three and five norovirus outbreaks a year. He called the Bentwood outbreak larger than usual but not record-setting. Hunt said there is no vaccine for norovirus, and antibiotics are not effective because it is a viral infection. About 2,500 norovirus outbreaks are reported nationally each year, he said.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, an infectious disease physician at the University of Kansas Health System, told KCTV5 that there is no specific medicine to treat norovirus; treatment focuses on replacing fluids and preventing dehydration. The illness runs its course in two to three days. Hawkinson said sick children should stay home from school for at least 48 hours after symptoms stop.
JCDHE also recommended frequent handwashing with soap and water and disinfecting contaminated surfaces. Hand sanitizer does not work well against norovirus, Pedraza said, adding that the school nurse posted signs reinforcing proper handwashing for students.
As of Wednesday, Oct. 21, only one student was absent with similar symptoms, according to the district. Health officials said they will continue to monitor the situation.
