United States: A mysterious illness has been haunting the younger population of the United States and has been emerged as a serious concern for the health authorities of the nation. The concerns and worries of the health experts raised following a mysterious illness that led to dozens of students being hospitalized.
Regarding the recent cases, the Superintendent of North Star School District has released more information. However, the cause of the illness has not been released.
Louis Lepley, the superintend, mentioned that multiple students from both the North Star High School as well as the Somerset County Technology Center reported illnesses on Thursday, April 4, which prompted multiple emergency officials to respond, according to the reports by wtaj.com.
UPMC Somerset has stated that they reported dozens of cases related to the incident at the high school and from the Somerset County Technology Center. Accordingly, at 6 pm, UPMC said they had reported sickness in around 38 people and out of the total approximately 14 were still hospitalized.
Along with this, the authorities mentioned that 24 patients had already been treated and released.
Emergency personnel arrived on the scene to provide treatment and care for students and refer some to hospitals for further testing. The Boswell and Stoystown Fire Companies, Somerset County Department of Emergency Services, Somerset EMS all responded immediately and have started an investigation into the potential cause. The superintendent also mentioned that shortly after, federal and state partners were requested.
The superintendent said that there was a coordinated response that ensured the safety of students. Initial testing on the illness focused on carbon monoxide. However, the results did not indicate any elevated levels in the building.
The reports by wtaj.com further elaborated that as of 10:30 pm, all air quality sampling and investigation results have been negative. The building was investigated by the responding team, using specialized equipment and the investigating officials looked for potential causes of the illnesses.
The superintendent added that overnight sampling is currently undergoing and the responding agencies will provide a further update in the matter. It is believed that the update will shared information regarding the detailed timeline of events, investigation efforts, findings and next steps.
Reportedly, the responding agencies include North Star School District, Emergency Management Agency, Somerset County Department of Emergency Services, Pennsylvania, PA Department of Environmental Protection, and US Environmental Protection Agency.