‘70 Pupils And Staff’ Affected by Suspected Norovirus

A school in Redditch was forced to close last week after 70 pupils and staff members were reportedly affected by a suspected outbreak of norovirus at the site.

Birchensale Middle School on Bridley Moor Road closed on Friday (17th October) as a result of a number of people reporting gastric illness symptoms including vomiting and diarrhoea.

The school wrote to parents to provide information and advice on what to do should a child fall ill.  The school closed on 17 October in order for a full deep clean to be undertaken at the site.

The school reopened as normal on Monday (October 20th) following the issues which had affected it.

News of the problems came after Two Mile Hill School in Bristol also had to close its doors after more than 90 pupils and members of staff fell ill as a result of a sickness bug.

Expert Opinion

It is worrying to see reports of these two schools both struggling with illness issues in recent days and it is clear that the priority at present must be to contain the outbreaks to prevent the further spread of the infection. <br/> <br/>"Once this has been achieved, the primary aim must be to investigate the issues and determine how they emerged - with a view to learning lessons as to how they could be avoided in the future. <br/> <br/>"Illness outbreaks of this nature can have a significant impact on victims, particularly on younger people who may develop more severe health problems as a result of such issues. It is vital that everything possible is done to try and prevent this scale of problem from recurring in the future." Amandeep Dhillon - Partner