The outbreak prompted the closure of 28 schools from preschool through high school, plus special education programs, and they will not reopen until Wednesday. Some private schools were also closed and court cases postponed because of pink eye.
Close to 2,300 students and 130 teachers have pink eye, said Salu Hunkin-Finau, director of the territory's Education Department. About 13,000 kids are enrolled in public schools in American Samoa, a group of islands in the South Pacific about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii.
Conjunctivitis known as pink eye is one of the most common eye conditions, inflaming tissue on the eyeball and lining the eyelid, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC says viral and bacterial pink eye is very contagious, and it can also be caused by allergens.
Local government officials believe it spread from neighbouring Samoa, where an outbreak closed schools for a week last month.
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Parents and government officials say that the number of cases will be higher than what's reported because many people are opting to stay home rather than go to a doctor.
The territory's largest private school system, the Office of Catholic Education Service, closed yesterday and was expected to remain shuttered Monday. The closure encompasses a high school, three elementary schools and two kindergartens, with more than 700 total students enrolled. Other smaller private schools were also closed.