Ketchikan students hit hard by unidentified virus

(Creative Commons photo)
(Creative Commons photo)

Ketchikan schools have had a larger than usual number of students out sick over the last two weeks. One school, Houghtling Elementary, was hit the hardest with about 70 students out sick.

Becky King, a second-grade teacher, brought the issue to the attention of the school board.

“I’m concerned about all the kids and all the teachers, and their health in the district, especially right now when most of the kids are out with 102/103 fevers,” King said.

Ketchikan district nurse Bailey Webb says additional symptoms include sore throat, vomiting and diarrhea. State health officials told her the symptoms seem like a virus.

“We can’t specifically say what type of virus right now, because not enough children have gone into see their doctors,” Webb said.

Webb said not knowing the cause makes it difficult to know where it came from, but she has suspicions.

“We had the cruise ships and the carnival all here at the same for the first week,” Webb said.

She said the state Section of Epidemiology and Public Health Nursing is closely monitoring the number of absent students in Ketchikan, and will be keeping an eye out for anything similar on nearby islands, but so far it seems to be an isolated illness.

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