Health district: Norovirus was likely the cause of school outbreak

The Southern Nevada Health District announced Monday that preliminary lab results indicate norovirus was the cause of a gastrointestinal illness outbreak in late January at a southwest Las Vegas elementary school.

The final number of people who became ill due to the outbreak at Tanaka Elementary School hasn’t been confirmed, the health district said in a news release.

The health district is still working with the Clark County School District on an investigation, according to the release.

Norovirus is “very contagious,” the health district said, and spreads through contact with someone who’s infected, via contaminated food or water, or by someone touching a contaminated surface and putting unwashed hands in their mouth.

Symptoms typically develop in 12 to 24 hours after exposure, the health district said, and most people recover within one to three days.

Norovirus symptoms most commonly include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain.

People can protect themselves by washing their hands with soap and water, the health district said.

For more information, visit southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/Health-Topics/norovirus.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.