Norovirus outbreaks confirmed in Beijing schools

Students in several primary schools and kindergartens in Beijing fell ill recently due to norovirus, the Beijing News reported on Friday.

An official at the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control confirmed on Thursday that norovirus had hit many students, all aged between six to seven years old.

Experts at the center said that norovirus is transmitted mainly through contaminated food and tableware.

Kindergartens and primary schools are ordered to bolster daily health checks for students, so as to detect and cope with infections in a timely manner.

Students with symptoms should be isolated and emergency decontamination measures should be taken if infections are detected, the center said.

A total of 20 pupils at the MOMA Kids International Kindergarten in the city's Dongcheng district had symptoms such as upset stomach and vomiting at the end of March.