05 May 2023 , 09:55
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A nursey child has died after an outbreak of a mysterious illness sweeping across schools.
The child's cause of death has not been confirmed so it is not yet known whether it was related to the outbreak of unidentified illnesses found among elementary and middle schools in the US.
Public health officials in Detroit said on Wednesday the Marcus Garvey Academy "has experienced an unusually high rate of flu-like symptoms including student fevers, and vomiting, namely at the early grade levels."
Marcus Garvey Academy will be closed on Monday for a deep clean before welcoming students back to the campus.
Marcus Garvey Academy has identified a mysterious illness (Google)Parents are being warned by public health officials to look out for symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain among children aged between four and seven-years-old.
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The Detroit Health Department has not confirmed the cause of the illnesses.
Dr. Kevin Dazy, a paediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, told NBC the circulation of respiratory viruses could be one of the factors in driving the outbreaks in the schools.
Marcus Garvey Academy was forced to shut for a deep clean (Google)He said as Detroit is experiencing colder weather, more kids are having to spend more times indoors.
“Sure, this is a little bit later in the season." Dr Dazy said.
"By no means is it unheard of that we may see another wave of any viral respiratory illness.”
Hospitals have not seen any patients from the Garvey Academy outbreak - but Dr Dazy admitted he wouldn't be surprised if there are some.
He said: “When you’re in a confined area, such as a classroom, of course that can make one child very contagious to the other kids in the class."
Doctors are unsure what the source of the outbreak is as medics often test less for respiratory viruses during off-peak seasons, according to Dr Dazy.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident in Detroit, a day care centre had to temporarily shut on Wednesday amid an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease.
The centre was closed for a deep clean after Focus: HOPE Centre for Children, said it had identified 17 cases on Tuesday.
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The disease spreads rapidly through droplets from coughs or sneezes or contact with contaminated surfaces or objects.
Hand, foot and mouth disease spreads in infants and children younger than 5, with symptoms that usually include a high temperature, mouth sores and a skin rash.
However, the day care centre announced it would reopen on Monday following a deep clean.