Health Department Confirms Stomach Bug Cases at Barnum Woods

The Nassau County Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed they are investigating a stomach bug that has been reported at in East Meadow.

“Right now, we are investigating a gastrointestinal illness at Barnum Woods Elementary School,” Mary Ellen Laurain, a spokeswoman from the DOH, said. “This is an ongoing investigation. We’ve sent recommendations for containing and preventing the spread of illness to the school.”

On Friday morning, Kristina Hollywood, who runs the parent email-based group “Mommy’s Time Out,” distributed an email concerning a significant amount of absences from Barnum Woods Thursday.

From the email:

“Apparently, Barnum Woods had nearly 100 students out with it yesterday! At the moment, Parkway has a few cases and I know of numerous families who had their bout with it three weeks ago.”

Shelley Lotenberg, a spokeswoman for , told Patch that the hospital, has confirmed that an East Meadow elementary schools have seen an increase in absences due to a Norovirus-like illness.

“I checked in the pediatric section of the emergency department and we have had an increase in patients seen, but I’m not sure if it can be attributed specifically to [East Meadow] or whether it is the time of the year for flu, colds, coughs, intestinal viruses, etc,” Lotenberg told Patch.

Several parents have also commented on the East Meadow Patch Facebook page that their children have been affected.

“Often times, you will see a Noro-type virus this time of the year, but right now, we haven’t pinpointed what it is,” Laurain said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, Noroviruses are a group of related, single-stranded RNA, non-enveloped viruses that cause acute gastroenteritis in humans. The most common symptoms of acute gastroenteritis are diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain.

The East Meadow School District did not respond to requests for comment.

This is a breaking news story, and Patch will provide more information as it's made available.