A suspected norovirus outbreak has spread across 10 middle schools in the greater Hiroshima-city area, forcing over 300 students to stay home after suffering from diarrhea, vomiting, and other symptoms.

All 10 schools closed on Friday, health officials said Saturday, Sankei Shimbun reported.

According to initial reports, the 10 schools affected by the outbreak all received lunches from the same bento maker, leading officials to suspect the plant was the origin of the virus.

School officials said they began receiving calls one after the other from distressed parents whose children were staying home after complaining of a variety of gastrointestinal symptoms, Sankei reported.

The Hiroshima Board of Education said the virus left 303 students and 20 teachers sick.

© Japan Today