SAN JOSE (KRON)– Health officials in Santa Clara County are investigating a suspected norovirus outbreak at San Jose schools.

There have been 200 cases in San Jose and 245 cases countywide. Ten schools in San Jose are affected, along with three others in the county.

The first case was reported on May 4 by a student at Hacienda Environmental Science Elementary School.

Hacienda remains the hardest-hit school in the district, with roughly 88 cases reported.

In response to the outbreak, district staff are cleaning the facilities every day with a solution of bleach and water applied on surfaces in common areas like the playground, cafeteria and bathrooms. A number of events have been canceled to prevent further spread of the illness, and there’s also an educational outreach effort underway.

“We’ve had our nurses going out school by school and doing presentations about hand washing, trying to make it fun and give them good habits,” according to district spokesman Peter Allen.

Based on the symptoms and timeframe for recovering, public health officials believe that norovirus is to blame.

“Everything points to it being norovirus, it just hasn’t been laboratory confirmed yet,” according to Santa Clara County Public Health Department spokeswoman Joy Alexiou.

County and school officials are asking parents of students affected by the stomach bug to keep their kids home for at least 48 hours after they stop showing symptoms to limit further spread of the illness.

Here are the list of schools reporting cases:

  • Hacienda
  • Horace Mann
  • Olinder
  • Washington
  • Grant
  • Ann Darling
  • Carson
  • Terrell
  • Willow Glen
  • John Muir Middle

WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON:

>> MORE TOP STORIES