Schools see illness soar, attendance drop

Lilana Mu-oz didn't go to her kindergarten class Monday at Mark Twain Elementary School.

Like hundreds of other students throughout Carson City, she stayed home sick.

Schools throughout the district have seen a sharp increase in illness-related absences, and officials are asking parents to keep their sick children at home.

More than one-quarter of Carson Middle School students stayed home ill last week, and absences were still high Monday.

"Last week was the worst week of absences I've seen in 20 years," said attendance secretary Sharon Love. "A lot of them came back, but there's still a lot out."

The absences peaked in the middle of last week with 350 of the school's 1,241 students out sick. About 200 were too sick to come to school Monday.

And schoolchildren throughout Carson City are struggling with similar afflictions.

"We've seen anything from congestion with fevers to vomiting," said Marena Works, chief nurse of the Carson City School District.

Her advice to parents: "If your kids are sick, the biggest thing is to please keep them home."

Nearby Nevada County in California issued a health alert, warning parents of two types of illnesses. One is characterized by vomiting and diarrhea, which lasts about 24 to 48 hours; the other is respiratory with symptoms including high fever, headache, cough, muscle aches and a runny nose, which may last five to seven days.

Similar infirmities are being reported in Carson City, but Disease Control Specialist Rick Sowadsky said there is no cause for alarm.

"This is the time of year we see people get sick with flu-like symptoms," he said. "There's nothing really unusual."

He said people can take precautions by getting a flu shot and making sure children's immunizations are up to date.

Although the recent outbreak falls short of epidemic status, Superintendent Mary Pierczynski said it is having an effect on education.

"Obviously, every time a child is not sitting in the classroom, they are missing out on the work," she said. "And when a fourth of your students are out, teachers don't want to introduce any new material so it slows progress."

Monday afternoon, Liliana's father, Domingo Mu-oz, brought the 5-year-old to see Dr. Kurt Carlson at Med Direct Urgent Care, where she was treated with antibiotics.

Carlson said parents should put a vaporizer in a child's bedroom as soon symptoms begin. Once a fever is detected, give the child Tylenol or Motrin. If a fever persists more than 72 hours, medical attention should be sought, he said.