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Roughly 1,000 students at a large high school in Virginia have called out sick with ‘flu-like and gastrointestinal symptoms’ last week, as doctors in the US are urging people across the country to get their flu jabs.
Stafford Senior High School in Fredericksburg, Virginia, made the announcement on Facebook on Friday, as it will continue to reassess conditions whether to resume extra-curricular and sporting activities.
‘Due to the high number of student and staff illnesses reported this week, all Stafford High School activities and athletics scheduled through Sunday, October 23, are canceled,’ the post read.
‘We will reassess conditions on Monday and provide you with further information.’
The illness has spread to nearly half of the entire school’s population, which was last reported at 2,009 students with a 16:1 student: teacher ratio, according to Public School Review.
About 1,000 students are suffering from flu-like symptoms at Stafford Senior High School (pictured) in Fredericksburg, VA
The school was sporadic in its details about the mysterious illness, though extra-curricular activities were cancelled throughout all of last week
A Facebook user was not happy with the school for not mentioning the possibility of COVID-19 infections, while another ‘overheard’ 950 students were sick all last week
‘How can you post a statement like that and not even mention the possibility of COVID-19 infections? COVID-19 also can have flu-like symptoms (fever, coughing, sore throat, GI problems),’ a Facebook user shared under the school’s post.
‘You should be encouraging both the antigen test and PCR test for COVID,’ she added.
State health officials are continuing to investigate the cause of the outbreak, thought to have affected 950 students, another Facebook user ‘overheard’.
Elsewhere across the US, Public Health Services announced an flu outbreak at the San Diego Unified School District’s Patrick Henry High School in California, which has 2,600 students.
‘Although the County reports daily several hundred COVID-19 cases, and is already seeing a rapid and early start to flu season, it is too early to determine the cause of the suspected outbreak at Patrick Henry High School as test results are pending,’ the county communications office said in a statement.
Patrick Henry High School is another school in the US with a flu outbreak, as 304 lab-confirmed influenza cases were reported last week
The county said that so far no hospitalizations had been linked to the illnesses at Patrick Henry High, but local hospitals including Rady Children’s Hospital have had a recent increase in emergency room visits due to flu and respiratory syncytial virus, which usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms.
‘We are coordinating with local school districts and are checking with other school campuses to try and figure out why so many students have been affected so suddenly,’ Dr. Cameron Kaiser, deputy public health officer, said in the statement.
The county said that 304 lab-confirmed influenza cases were reported last week, bringing the total for the season that started on July 3 to 1,082. At the same time last year, the county had reported only 200 influenza cases.
Doctors across the US have recently advised Americans to not skip getting their flu shots this fall, following a bad outbreak in other parts of the world, noticeably in Australia
Meanwhile, doctors across the US have recently sent a message for vaccine-weary Americans: Don’t skip your flu shot this fall — and seniors, ask for a special extra-strength kind.
After flu hit historically low levels during the COVID-19 pandemic, it may be poised for a comeback. The main clue: A nasty flu season just ended in Australia, thought to be the worst in five years, according to The Associated Press.
While there’s no way to predict if the U.S. will be as hard-hit, ‘last year we were going into flu season not knowing if flu was around or not. This year we know flu is back,’ said influenza specialist Richard Webby of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
In addition, people have largely abandoned masking and distancing precautions that earlier in the pandemic helped prevent the spread of other respiratory bugs.
Flu is most dangerous for people 65 and older, young children, pregnant women and people with certain health problems including heart and lung diseases.
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