18 Sickened By GI Illness At 2 Boston Schools

BOSTON (CBS)  -- More than a dozen people from two Boston area schools have been sickened by a gastrointestinal illness, the Boston Public Health Commission confirmed Thursday.

The agency says 14 cases of the illness were confirmed at UP Academy in Dorchester, and four cases were at Young Achievers School in Mattapan.

These cases are not unusual this time of the year, the commission's communication director Ché Knight told WBZ-TV.

The norovirus-like illness is typically caused by contact with stool or vomit from an infected individual. Inspectors have been sent to the schools as a precaution to disinfect key areas and review food handling procedures, Knight said.