Elizabeth school disinfected after students get enterovirus

ELIZABETH, N.J. (WABC) -- A New Jersey school district is warning parents about two confirmed cases of enterovirus, though there is no confirmation that it is the same strain that has sickened dozens of people and killed at least one.

A student at Juan Pablo Duarte-Jos Julin Mart School No. 28 in the Elizabeth Public Schools District became ill, and on Thursday, a second confirmed case was reported at Elmora School No. 12. But it is unknown if either case involves the more serious D68 strain.

District officials say said the students are out of school, with the most recent case being treated at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital. The schools and buses were cleaned and disinfected, and the schools are opened.

Officials are tracking student absences to see if anyone else is at risk for the virus.

Olga Hugelmeyer, superintendent of schools, sent a note home to parents confirming the case.

"It is important to note that the strain found at the elementary school has not been confirmed as the D68 virus currently causing severe respiratory issues among children and adults throughout the country," the letter read. "The infected student is currently out of school and seeking treatment."

It also said that the school has "undergone a thorough cleaning throughout the course of the day."

"We will continue to work through the evening to disinfect the entire building to further prevent the spread of germs," the letter read. "The entire bus fleet will be cleaned and disinfected overnight, as well."

School Board Director Tony Montiero sent a strongly-worded letter to the CDC Thursday pushing for the agency to conduct testing in a more time-efficient manner. He is upset with the government's response in the first case, writing, "We are extremely concerned and alarmed at both the inability of the Board to be able to reach out to the Center for Disease Control yesterday (and today for that matter) for further guidance and the CDC's apparent decision not to accept further specimens testing, leaving this large urban school district in the dark about whether the virus that infected our student was a 'typical enterovirus' or EV-D68, a potentially deadly strain that has been found throughout the country."

Officials with the New Jersey state Department of Health says there are currently no confirmed enterovirus D68 cases in Union County. In New Jersey, only the CDC can confirm the type of enterovirus, which has happened 17 times so far.

CLICK HERE for a map of the confirmed cases.

New Jersey, like the rest of the U.S., is in the middle of the respiratory virus season. Many different viruses are common this time of year, including influenza, rhinovirus and more than 100 types of enteroviruses.

The health department recently updated its Frequently Asked Questions page. The answers can be found at http://www.nj.gov/health/cd/ev-d60/index.shtml