Schools are getting hit hard by the flu.
How bad a particular flu season is can be measured by how many people fall ill. Plus, how sick they become. This is nowhere near as evident as in schools, where kids are confined indoors for hours at a time and are, therefore, likely vectors of the disease. According to health officials, this particular flu season looks like it’s already hitting schools early and hitting them hard. Several school districts in California and Virginia raising concerns over likely flu outbreaks. In San Diego, Patrick Henry High School had 1,100 absences out of 2,600 students since the beginning of October. Another school, Del Norte High, had an estimated 884 absences out of 2,517 students.
The same is happening on the opposite side of the US. One Virginia school reported half their total enrollment – about 1,000 students – missing school due to flu-like or gastrointestinal symptoms. It prompted the local health department to investigate and figure out a way to mitigate the situation before it worsens. The flu has been around long enough for schools to at least have protocols in place. The fact that some schools are reporting significant absences so early into the season is already setting off alarm bells, pushing parents, educators, and health officials to review and enforce necessary prevention measures. Those include vaccination, hygiene, and procedures for separating symptomatic individuals to prevent the virus from spreading within the community.
