Date: Fri 12-Feb-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

health-education-flu

Full Text:

SCHOOLS / LIBRARY

Flu Continues Its Sweep

Through The Middle School

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

Rosemary Cavanaugh has seen a lot of sick students in her 28 years as nurse at

the Newtown Middle School. But last week ranks up there as one of the worst

for cases of influenza.

At one point last week, she had a line of sick students heading out the door.

A total of 221 students (more than 20 percent of the school) was out sick with

the flu during one day last week. The middle school population seemed to have

been hit with the worst of it.

"We were seeing some pretty sick kids here. This has really been bad the past

couple of weeks," she said Tuesday. "I don't ever recall having 20 percent of

the school out in one day."

Things are finally getting back to normal. Just over 100 students were out on

Tuesday - only about 10 percent of the school.

"The worst appears to be behind us. We're still busy but not like last week,

Mrs Cavanaugh said. "There must be some new strain out there - a different

strain."

The symptoms include headache, nausea, high fever, weakness and fatigue. The

viral infection has been running a 10-day course. Many of the students would

miss a few days then return because they felt better in the morning. By mid-

day, however, their temperatures would go back up, Mrs Cavanaugh said. This

variety of flu really knows how to hang on.

The middle school nurse always gets a flu shot and rarely gets sick. But sure

enough, she found herself out sick, too.

"I don't usually get anything, but I got it this year," she said. "I got the

bug a week ago and I needed to just sleep. So it's not confined to just the

students. A lot of the staff has been out, too."

Barbara Reilly, the middle school's other nurse, was out sick this week.

Local pediatrician Thomas Draper likens respiratory viruses to a pack of

wolves. They take over an entire community, wreck havoc, and keep everything

else out while doing so. Once people build up an immunity, those viruses

eventually die off. But just when you think you are in the clear, the door

opens up for another virus to strike.

"A virus keeps changing in response to people's immunity," he said in an

interview last winter on the annual flu onslaught.

According to a recent report in Consumers Reports health guide, 30 to 50

million Americans come down with some form of influenza during the typical flu

season. Of that number, 20,000 die. Doctors say those numbers could come way

down if people took the time to get their flu shot.

Influenza tends to thrive in cold weather, but, according to Dr Draper, flu

season also occurs in the winter months because people tend to spend more of

their time in closed areas along with many other germ-carrying humans. Schools

are the worst places to be if you are trying to avoid getting sick.