• Font Size    
E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

Herpes Outbreak Shuts Down Catholic High School

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

   Print     Share +    Comments
Dec 19, 2006 6:26 pm US/Eastern

Herpes Outbreak Shuts Down Catholic High School

SLIDESHOW - 2006: Newsmakers Remembered

SLIDESHOW - 2006: Around The Water Cooler

In Other News: Ritzy Scarsdale Schools Battle Head Lice
JERSEY CITY (CBS) ― School official's shut down Saint Peter's Prep High School in Jersey City days before the originally scheduled holiday break, because of a herpes outbreak.

CBS 2 has learned that five members of the high school's wrestling team were diagnosed with herpes simplex virus type I -- a form of herpes that is transmitted when skin comes into contact with open lesions.

According to The Jersey Journal, officials say a 15-year-old Saint Peter's Prep wrestler had skin lesions and fever days after a Nov. 30 scrimmage with wrestlers from Nutley and Livingston High Schools.

He was sent to Meadowlands Hospital, where he was diagnosed with the virus. Health officials say the simplex virus type 1 form of herpes has nothing to do with the herpes simplex virus type II, which is communicated through sexual contact.

When three other wrestlers showed signs of having the virus, the team's practices and matches were canceled.

On Saturday, 40 members of the team were tested, and 38 were cleared, but two were sent for further testing, officials said.

One of those two was diagnosed with having the virus, and the other went on anti-viral medication as a precautionary measure.

School officials decided to close down the entire all-boys private school over the weekend, shutting it down Monday afternoon.

"We may be overreacting to what is a minor infection involving a small number of students," said James Horan, the St. Peter's Prep's vice president for planning and external affairs. "But we felt it was the prudent move and to eliminate the possibility of spreading the virus."

Workers spent yesterday disinfecting all the areas of the school used by the wrestling team, including lockers, showers, and the practice room, officials said.

The school is scheduled to re-open on January 3.

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Add Comment

here. here. Need a log in? Register here
  •  * Will not be displayed with comment
  •  * e.g. (http://www.mywebsite.com)
  •  
  • Click here to refresh with new letters

Show Comments (0)

Close Window Login


Close Window Flag Comment


loading...
You need the latest Flash player to view video content.
Click here to download.

Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player.

Top Stories

Top News Stories

© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.