Charlotte, NC – The Mecklenburg County Health Department is investigating the illnesses of several students at First Ward Elementary School, 715 North Caldwell Street, Charlotte.

Twenty-eight students became ill shortly after lunch at the school. Six of the students were taken to Carolinas Medical Center as a precaution. Teachers and other school staff cared for the students while their parents or guardians were called to pick them up.

The sick students suffered from symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. The Health Department is investigating the possibility of a food-borne illness. The Charlotte Fire Department determined that the illnesses are not the result of an airborne toxin.

Environmental health specialists from the Health Department interviewed as many of the sick students as possible to determine what foods they ate for lunch and breakfast. They also took samples from the cafeteria kitchen for testing. Results will not be available until early next week.

Health Department staff will also be talking with emergency room doctors at Carolinas Medical Center and monitoring statewide surveillance systems for other incidents of stomach viruses. No other schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system have reported students with similar symptoms.

The Health Department reminds citizens that proper hand-washing procedures can help prevent stomach viruses that cause such symptoms. For effective hand-washing:

• Use plenty of soap and warm water.
• Rub your hands vigorously as you wash them.
• Wash all surfaces.
• Rinse your hands well.
• Dry hands with a clean paper towel.
• Turn off the water using the paper towel instead of your bare hands to prevent recontamination of your hands.
• If you are washing your hands in a restroom, use the towel to open the door.
• Dispose of the towel in the trash.