Concerned Citizens Turn Out For EV-D68 Meeting In NJ After Death Of 4-Year-Old
By Dan Wing, Matt Rivers
HAMILTON TWP., N.J. (CBS) – School and township officials met with the concerned community Sunday evening in Hamilton Township, New Jersey a day after it became official a preschooler there died from Enterovirus-D68.
Parents, grandparents and other citizens made up the crowd of nearly 100 at Steinert High School as officials tried to calm fears by reassuring the community that everything possible is being done to fight the spread of the virus.
"It's very saddening and I just want to know," asked parent Stacey Jensen, "is there a risk of it spreading?"
Superintendent of schools James Parla says preventing spread is the best way to combat the issue:
"Talking to students about how to throw tissues away, making sure they get to wash their hands."
Among the measures being taken by the schools are full cleanings of all schools in the district from top to bottom, educational outreach — like this session with the public as well as online — and remaining vigilant moving forward.
"Everyone's worried for their children and that's where we are now with it," parent Rebbeca Jospeh says.
During a Q&A session, many thanked officials for their response to the illness, but others say they were upset with the lack of communication from the school district.
Parla says that he will be meeting with principals of the district Monday morning in order to get them up to speed on how to fight the spread of this virus.
As of Sunday night, three more children were being treated at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for the virus.
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