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BREAKING NEWS: Washington Co. Health Dept. evacuated Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 FAYETTEVILLE - Twenty-six employees of the Washington County Health Department were sent to Washington Regional Medical Center this morning after complaining of nausea and vomiting. The outbreak, mostly among staff in the Women's Clinic wing, prompted an evacuation of the entire building at 3720 Wimberly. The building is closed for the rest of today. The source of the illnesses is unknown, but the outbreak moved through the staff too quickly to have been a flu or other communicable illness, said Rick Johnson, Health Department administrator. "There's definitely an external factor at work here," Johnson said. A portable lab from state Health Department headquarters in Little Rock will arrive later today to sample air quality and other possible sources in the building, John Gibson, Washington County administrator John Gibson said. Hazardous materials specialists from the Fayetteville Fire Department did not find an immediate cause for the illnesses, said Terry Lawson, battalion chief. Johnson said about 70 staff members are usually in the building daily and at least 300 people a day use the department's services. As emergency personnel investigated the cause of the outbreak, about 80 people - health department staff and patients - waited to be checked for symptoms. Some waited in an air-conditioned bus while others sat on a grassy area nearby. |
