Eleven people at the same Vancouver early-learning campus have become sick with similar symptoms this week, but there are no signs of a wider viral outbreak, school and county health officials said Thursday.
Four children and four adults who became sick were in a Head Start program, said Theresa Cross, with Clark County Public Health.
Two children and one staff member who reported similar symptoms are part of the Vancouver Early Childhood Center at 301 S. Lieser Road
The symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting.
The Head Start program, which is operated by Educational Opportunities for Children and Families, has 30 staff members and 211 children at the location.
While the Head Start program is housed on a Vancouver Public Schools campus, it is a separate program and is not part of the Vancouver Early Childhood Center, which has an enrollment of 253 children.
In a letter sent out Wednesday to parents of children at the center, Clark County Public Health officials described the sickness as a gastrointestinal illness.
County health officials keep tabs on school illnesses, and the symptoms that sickened the 11 people have not popped up among other groups of students.
“School nurses let us know if 10 percent or more of their students are absent with similar symptoms,” and that hasn’t happened, Cross said.
Kris Sork, Vancouver Public Schools spokeswoman, said no outbreaks of illness have been reported at any Vancouver elementary or secondary schools.
Clark County Public Health provided a list of control measures to be followed until the outbreak has ended, usually 96 hours after the last onset of symptoms.
The control information noted that frequent and thorough hand-washing is the most effective way to prevent the spread of illness.
