ILLNESSES ON INCREASE IN SOME AREA SCHOOLS

Runny noses, fever, stomach aches, scratchy throats and stuffy heads are just a few of the symptoms keeping students away from area schools this week.

Local health officials said they have seen an increased number of patients suffering from upper-respiratory infections, head colds and gastro-intestinal problems resulting from viral infections during the past two weeks.

The most common symptoms reported have been nasal congestion, cough, fevers, muscle aches and head congestion, said Debbie Sutherland with St. Francis Medical Center. The illnesses seem to be lasting four to five days and children are having fairly high temperatures of about 102 degrees, she said.

An increased number of students have been kept home or sent home after arriving at school sick during the past two weeks. Both Jackson and Cape Girardeau school districts have seen some absenteeism rise because of illness, but nothing so large as to create a problem.

However, so many students have stayed away from Chaffee schools this week that officials are considering canceling classes to give students time to get well.

"It's been heavy the last two days -- roughly 16 or 17 percent (of total enrollment)," said Chaffee schools Superintendent Bob Biggs. "If this doesn't lighten up some I'm looking very closely at a long weekend. That's a last resort because anytime you cancel school it can cause a real problem for parents."

Biggs said it's rare for his district to have more than 50 illness-related absences in a day. Absences have consistently run over that amount this week, he said. There were 84 students absent from school Wednesday.

Although he is recently recovered from a bad cold, Biggs said his teachers haven't been much affected as yet.

"The faculty are all here so maybe they're getting over it," he said. "We don't really know what it is: I had it myself and I don't know what it is."

Vicky McDowell, communicable disease coordinator for the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center, said there hasn't been anything officially identified as an outbreak in the county. There's no real explanation for the increased illnesses this month, she said. Sometimes communities just seem to pass around certain illnesses more frequently.

"It just happens to be upper-respiratory and GI flu-type things that seem to go around at this time of year," she said.

Sutherland said unless people have a prolonged illness or pronounced symptoms, the best cure for anyone suffering from these ailments can be found at home.

"Plenty of fluids, Tylenol and ibuprofen for aches and fever, rest and time," she said. "That's real hard when you feel bad because everyone wants to hurry up and get better. Unfortunately, most of the things we're seeing are viral, and antibiotics just won't help."