More than a dozen students and a custodian went to a local hospital Thursday after an outbreak of inexplicable itching struck a classroom at Johnson High School in Oakwood, a Hall County schools spokesman said.
About 10:30 a.m., students in a 9th grade classroom complained to their teacher that they suddenly felt itchy, Hall schools spokesman Gordon Higgins told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a phone interview. The outbreak occurred in a regular classroom, not a lab, Higgins said.
“The teacher went back to see them,” he said. “In addition to the obvious physical discomfort they were showing, she noticed red bumps on their skin.”
The teacher called the front office. A staff member and custodian came, saw what was happening and called 911, Higgins said.
Emergency personnel evaluated and then transported 14 students and the custodian to Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Gainesville. Meanwhile, Hall County emergency services tested the air and found no airborne pathogens to explain what happened.
At the hospital, the students and custodians were checked out and were determined to be suffering from "contact dermatitis,” a skin irritation similar to poison ivy symptoms, but otherwise appeared to be OK.
“The good news is, hopefully with a little treatment, like topical ointment, these students will be coming back shortly,” Higgins said.
The wing of the school where the itching was reported was evacuated, affecting about 200 students. The classroom in question was cleaned with a disinfectant, and everyone was allowed to return about 2:30 p.m., Higgins said.
Officials did not know Thursday afternoon what caused the itchiness and were investigating. Higgins told Channel 2 Action News that rumors circulating among students that someone brought "itching powder" to school were unfounded.
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