Christchurch school shut due to suspected gastroenteritis outbreak
Haeata Community Campus will be closed on Friday due to a suspected outbreak of acute viral gastroenteritis.
The decision not to open the Aranui school was made following consultation with the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB).
In a statement on the school's Facebook page, principal Andy Kai Fong said the Breezes Rd site will now "undergo a deep clean".
"Given student and staff illness, the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) have advised us to close the entire school for [Friday]," he said.
"This means there can be no students or staff at school [on Friday]. We apologise for any inconvenience but minimising the chance of spread is the most important priority."
The social media post also included information about gastroenteritis, the "suspected cause" of the bug.
Advice from the CDHB says "gastroenteritis is an infection of the stomach and bowel".
"When people say they have a 'tummy bug' they usually mean gastroenteritis," the information said.
"Most of the time a virus causes it but bacteria can also cause it. The infection causes runny or watery bowel motions (diarrhoea) and sometimes vomiting. It is very easy to spread."
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The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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