This time of year many peoples minds are turning to the Christmas holiday, but the colder temperatures mark another tradition of the season: the spread of influenza. Although many people have already gotten their flu shots for the year, a new, mutated strain is causing havoc in the local public school systems, where illness-related absences have already reached the hundreds. Tuesday was a particularly hard-hit day for the De Queen School District, which reported around 300 absences. Many of those included children and teachers who have confirmed cases of the flu, but school health officials assume the others may be showing symptoms and have yet to visit their doctor. The Horatio School District has not been spared either, with around 100 children absent Monday due to flu or flu-related symptoms. Nurses at both districts have been sending children home if they show signs of the flu. So far, the virus has mostly affected students in the younger grades, especially in the primary and elementary schools. De Queen High School, for instance, reported no flu-related absences on Tuesday, but that figure was close to 140 at De Queen Primary. Officials at the De Queen Medical Center said theyve confirmed over a dozen cases of flu over the past week, with more expected. Doctors offices in De Queen have also reported confirmations of patients stricken with influenza. The public is encouraged to seek anti-viral medications from their doctors immediately after developing flu-like symptoms, the CDC has said. The medication is more successful if administered within the first 48 hours of the onset of symptoms that include: fever greater than 100 degrees, body aches, coughing, sore throat, chills, headache, fatigue and respiratory congestion.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 15:16:40 +0000