Knoxville Health Officials Still Searching For Mystery Illness That Struck 49 Students

October 7, 2008 2:59 p.m. EST

Knoxville, TN (AHN) - Health officials are still searching for the cause of an illness that struck 49 students on a field trip last week, sending many of them to the hospital.

Forty West Valley Middle School students went to the hospital Friday with vague symptoms of nausea, vomiting, dizziness and general achiness. Some children also complained of heaviness in their arms and legs, according to reports.

Although all the students are out of the hospital now, Knox County Health Department officials are still trying to figure out why the students got sick.

They were among hundreds of students from county schools on a field trip to study Civil War history and became sick during a re-enactment.

Investigators will send some of the T-shirts students were wearing to a state lab for testing, conduct tests on the school buses used and interview students who didn't become sick, officials said.