Reports of flu are being reported in across the Twin Lakes Area. Stephanie Free, the Infection Preventionist at Baxter Regional Medical Center says the hospital began seeing an upswing in cases of the flu over the past weekend with four to eight patients, of all ages, coming to the hospital emergency room each day with the flu.
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Schools are also seeing higher numbers of absenteeism, especially in Flippin where Superintendent Kelvin Hudson says during this week as many as 20 percent of the students at the high school reported absent and 17 percent in the elementary school. Last week Flippin’s middle school had high absentee reports, which has declined this week, according to Hudson.
The Flippin superintendent says students have been sick with the upper respiratory flu, as Free reported at Baxter Regional Medical Center, as well as a stomach virus with vomiting and diarrhea. He says the schools’ custodial staff is working to disinfect all facilities and parents have been asked to keep their child home from school for 24 hours after their symptoms of fever, vomiting and diarrhea have stopped in an effort to keep the bugs from spreading.
Mountain Home Superintendent Dr. Jake Long says absenteeism in the Mountain Home School District is running about seven percent and not all can be attributed to the flu. He says the custodial department is working to keep all school facilities germ free.
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Cotter and Norfork schools report no unusually high numbers of absentees. Cotter Superintendent Chad Harp says student absentee rates due to the flu have been low to medium since December. He attributes mass flu immunization of students and staff at the school for the lack of a flu outbreak in Cotter.
Free says it is never too late to get a flu shot.
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The best way to prevent getting the flu, besides immunization, is proper hygiene.
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Free says if anyone suspects they have the flu to get tested and diagnosed by a medical professional as soon as possible for treatment to be most affective.
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