FLU TAKES TOLL IN REGION

ADVANCE The Advance public school system is the latest to fall victim to a flu-like virus that is spreading rapidly through Southeast Missouri.

The school district closed its elementary, junior and senior high schools Tuesday because a large number of students and faculty members were at home sick or were sick in school.

Meanwhile, officials said the number of confirmed flu cases in the state through Monday stood at 64, but the number of cases of flu-like illnesses in Missouri is increasing.

Advance High School Principal Jim Simpson announced late Tuesday that schools will be open for classes today. "We know we'll have a lot out, but since it's the middle of the week we decided to reopen," he said.

Simpson said if the absentee rate doesn't improve today the administration would "strongly consider" closing again for an extended weekend.

"I know a lot of schools are hanging on until they get closer to the weekend," he said. "A lot of the Stoddard County schools have been hit pretty hard."

Cape Girardeau area schools have also been hit hard by the flu-like illness in recent weeks.

Absentees were heavy at Cape Girardeau Central Junior High earlier this week. School officials reported that between 95 and 100 students were absent from the school.

"About 20 to 25 students were absent at Louis J. Schultz School (7th grade) Monday," said Linda Goodman a nurse for Cape Girardeau Public Schools. "But that figure is way down from the absentees we had there last week."

A number of students were absent from Cape Girardeau Central High School Monday, but the totals were well under the figure reported at the junior high school.

Neyland Clark, superintendent of Cape Girardeau Public Schools, said as many as 10 percent of the district's students were absent last week.

Jackson's Public Schools are running a bit over the norm in absentees, "but so far we haven't been hit with the illness that bad," said Wayne Maupin, superintendent of schools.

"Early this week we had about 9 percent absenteeism at the high school, 7 percent in junior high and a little less than that in elementary school," he said. "And some of those absent had the flu-type illness."

Maupin said the school normally had about 2-4 percent absenteeism.

In Advance, Simpson said the absentee rate in the schools began to rise Thursday and Friday. By Monday a large number of the district's 520 students and faculty was affected. Simpson said he could not provide attendance figures because the school secretary was at home sick.

"We knew we had it," he said. "We had kids in school who should not have been in school. Our faculty was sick. In the high school we had four to five teachers sick and in bed, and another four to five teachers who should have been but came to school anyway."

Simpson said the illness has spread throughout grades kindergarten through 12.

The outbreak in the Advance schools didn't surprise Sue Tippen, communicable disease coordinator for the Missouri Department of Health's Southeast Missouri District. Tippen said there has been over a 100 percent increase in the number of flu-like illnesses reported in Southeast Missouri in the past two weeks.

Tippen said that during the three-day Thanksgiving period 536 cases were reported in the region. The first week of December the number of cases in Southeast Missouri jumped dramatically to 1,497, said Tippen.

At this time the only confirmed cases of A/Beijing and A/Taiwan flu virus in eastern Missouri are in Texas, Douglas, St. Louis, Franklin, Jefferson and St. Charles counties. But Tippen said the A/Beijing virus may be causing some of the illnesses.

"We could be seeing some of the actual flu virus now, but the only way to confirm its presence is to take throat swabs and have them analyzed in the lab," she said. "For several reasons these tests are not done, mainly because of the expense and the time it takes to see a physician."

Tippen said she is asking all county health departments in Southeast Missouri to inform her of any abnormal increase in school absentee rates so swab tests can be conducted, if requested by any of the counties.

"We're seeing three types of illnesses in the schools in this region right now: strep throat, flu-like illness and gastro-intestinal sickness, which are all caused by a virus," she explained. "We have seen an increase in strep throat cases in the region recently, but that just goes along with the season. The 1,497 number that was reported this week is strictly flu-like illnesses, and a lot of them are school-aged.

"The good news is we're not seeing any increase at this time in medical problems caused by the flu virus such as pneumonia or influenza-related deaths," Tippen said.

Charlotte Craig, director of the Cape Girardeau County Health Department, said a Monday survey of the county showed there were 35 upper-respiratory infections, of which only three were flu-like; 20 cases of gastro-intestinal sickness; and 26 cases of bronchitis. Craig said these numbers are not abnormal for this time of year.

Tippen and Craig reminded parents of children who come down with the flu or flu-like illnesses that produce fever or pain not to give them aspirin because of the risk of Reye syndrome. They suggested use of an aspirin substitute instead.

Tippen said people contract flu viruses from touching contaminated surfaces such as door handles, desk tops, computer keyboards and other hard surfaces. The virus can live up to three days on hard surfaces and almost as long on various types of fabrics or skin.

Tippen said during the flu season it is best to wash hands frequently and keep hands away from eyes, nose and mouth.

Once the flu hits, they said, the best advice is the oldest: drink plenty of liquids, including chicken soup, and get lots of rest.