Mystery Illness Sends 21 Florida Preschoolers to Hospitals

Nov. 08--Twenty-one Lauderhill preschoolers suffering from intestinal distress were carried away on gurneys to waiting ambulances Monday and driven to three hospitals, a city official said.

Children from the Ave Marie Friends Preparatory School were treated for nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration.

The source of what struck children at the school, 5801 NW 19th St., was not confirmed, but food poisoning was suspected after hazardous materials crews did not find a gas leak, according to Jeff Levy, assistant chief of Lauderhill Fire Rescue.

"The only common denominator is what the children ate for lunch," Levy said about meals brought in from an outside vendor. "No adults had symptoms. So far, it appears to be food poisoning."

The fire department did not know who that vendor was, and the Florida Department of Health, which is investigating what was served, declined to identify the company.

"We cannot discuss an ongoing investigation," said Bob LaMendola, acting spokesman for the department in Broward County.

The Broward Sheriff's Child Protective Investigation Section, acting on behalf of the Florida Department of Children & Families, is also probing how the youngsters became sick, a DCF spokeswoman said.

Plantation General Hospital, Broward Health Medical Center and Broward Health Coral Springs treated the children, Levy said.

The outbreak began with one sick child and escalated until 29 kids were showing symptoms at the preschool, which is west of Florida's Turnpike and south of West Oakland Park Boulevard.

Phi Mentor said she was driving past her nephew's school earlier in the day when she noticed the first ambulance arrive. She called her sister and together they picked up her 3-year-old nephew, D.J., who seemed fine at first.

"We thought he was one of the lucky ones," Mentor, 26, said. "Now he's throwing up and we're going to take him to Plantation General."

Mentor said her sister had no idea something happened at the preschool until they showed up for pickup.

"All the parents should have been called, even if their kid wasn't sick," she said.

Reached by phone, preschool owner Caranita Rhone was at a hospital with sick students who were seeing doctors and was unable to comment at that time.

Not all of the youngsters were taken away in ambulances, and some were in worse condition than others because they were dehydrated, Levy said.

Ave Marie Friends Preparatory School is licensed through December 31, 2016 by the Broward County Commission, Community Partnership Division's child care licensing and enforcement section to provide child care services.

"They are in compliance, meaning they have passed inspections," said Carol Cook, assistant director of the community partnership division.

Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue, Sunrise Police and Sunrise Fire Rescue assisted with taking kids to hospitals and managing traffic. The intersection of Northwest 19th Street and Northwest 56th Avenue was blocked and traffic was being detoured.

Ave Marie Prep is next to Royal Palm Elementary School, and the disruption to traffic affected pickup routines for those students and their parents.

lJtrischitta@sunsentinel.com, 954-356-4233 or Twitter @LindaTrischitta

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