- FORT WORTH, Texas -- The
Tarrant County Health Department is investigating what made 40 students
and eight teachers sick at Glen Park Elementary in southeast Fort Worth.
- Students went home from school armed with letters telling
parents not to be alarmed. But still, some moms and dads remain cautious.
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- Concerned parent Marshelle Speed said, "If everybody
is sick, and the teachers are sick, yes, I'm worried something is going
wrong."
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- The Tarrant County Health Department sent in a team of
epidemiologists that quickly ruled out the possibility of tainted food
in the school cafeteria.
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- Dr. Bobby Jones, of the Tarrant County Health Department,
said, "They have all been having the same symptoms."
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- Most of the students complained of nausea, vomiting and
fever.
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- The health department determined that it is a stomach
virus that was passed person to person.
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- "The children also have been mixed between classes,
mixed between age groups, and it seemed to be clustering in family units,"
Jones said.
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- The school district is closely monitoring the situation,
but at this time there are no plans to close the school.
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- Fort Worth Independent School District Superintendent
Dr. Thomas Tocco said, "Our plan is, however, to be vigilant and to
keep a close eye on the situation in there. There doesn't seem to be any
sense of panic."
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- Health experts said the best way to avoid gastrointestinal
problems is to maintain good hygiene, wash hands frequently, get plenty
of rest and consume plenty of fluids.
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