Student campers fall ill

Mary Castillo

What was supposed to have been a week of outdoor science camp for

217 Thurston Middle School sixth graders, took a bad turn when 93

children fell ill.

The outbreak started last Nov. 19 when 15 students complained of

feeling sick, Principal Chris Duddy confirmed. The students were

visiting Catalina Island as part of their studies.

Two days later, when the first group started feeling better, 60

more students fell sick, promoting quick action by teacher Richard

Selin and parent and staff chaperones.

“They all did a tremendous job,” Duddy said. “They took care of

[the kids] like they were their own.”

The Orange County Health Care Agency is investigating the

outbreak. They suspect the culprit is a form of viral gastroenteritis

also known as the “Norwalk virus,” said Dr. Hildy Meyers, medical

director of epidemiology.

She confirmed that the agency had received several calls about the

incident but did not identify those callers.

“The transmission could have occurred by a variety of means.

Person to person, contaminated food or water,” she said. “But

contaminated water in this country is highly unlikely.”

The agency distributed questionnaires to affected families to help

determine that exact cause of the outbreak. At a debriefing meeting,

Duddy met with parents to discuss the virus, including its symptoms

and prevention measures. A few more students, mainly friends and

siblings, have also become ill.

Even though the group returned early Friday, the students still

got to attend a shark and algae lab, dissect squid, kayak and hike.

Two parents shared their impressions of the incident with school

board members at its meeting on Tuesday. Howard Hills commended

Selin, the parents and the children who helped the adults care for

their fellow students.

“This was Thurston’s finest hour,” Hills said.