Public health officials in Detroit are investigating an outbreak of an unidentified illnesses after a kindergartner died at an elementary and middle school.
According to the Associated Press, the Detroit Public Schools Community District said Wednesday that the school, Marcus Garvey Academy, “has experienced an unusually high rate of flu-like symptoms including student fevers, and vomiting, namely at the early grade levels.”
While the death of one kindergartener has been confirmed, it is unclear if the death is caused by the illness outbreak.
The Detroit Health Department said in a statement that it has not confirmed the cause of the illnesses.
The statement also told parents and caregivers to be on the lookout for several symptoms, including fever, headache, lethargy, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, among children ages 4 to 7.
The school will be closed until Monday for deep cleaning.
It isn’t uncommon for an unknown illness to quickly spread through a school, especially now that general vaccination rates have declined for two straight years.
Fewer vaccinated children can lead to community outbreaks of preventable illnesses, including measles and other serious illnesses.