Charlotte, NC – The Mecklenburg County Health Department received word today that food samples taken from First Ward Elementary School cafeteria on Friday, March 9 are negative for any type of contamination.

The samples were sent to a laboratory after 28 students, mostly fifth graders, began showing symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Six of the students were taken to the hospital where they were treated by emergency room physicians, given fluids and then sent home.

Physicians who attended several of the children in the emergency department believed that viral gastroenteritis (or stomach virus) was the most likely cause. Statewide disease surveillance showed moderate incidence of gastrointestinal illnesses in the region.

REMEMBER: Proper hand-washing is the best way to prevent the spread of germs!

• Visit the Scrub Club -  a fun, interactive web site that teaches children the proper way to wash their hands. 
• Watch "Last Clean Chance" - a science fantasy thriller teaching proper hand washing technique.

Environmental health specialists from the Health Department spent Friday afternoon in the cafeteria trying to determine any food-borne cause for the sudden illnesses, but most of the product served for lunches had already been consumed. No other school in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg system reported any cluster of illnesses.

The cafeteria at First Ward Elementary had recently been inspected by the Health department and received a sanitation grade of 99.5%.

"There are several possible causes for the illness that affected the students," said Dr. Stephen Keener, Medical Director. "However, with the limited information available at this time, we can neither prove nor disprove any of these possibilities." The illness appears to have been fairly mild, short-lived, and self-limited.

The Health Department reminds citizens that proper hand-washing can help prevent the spread of viruses that cause such illnesses. For more information, visit our website at www.meckhealth.org.