Douglas middle schools hit with flu

Large numbers of students have been missing school, but not because of senioritis.

Most of the students affected by a late-season flu attend Pau-Wa-Lu and Carson Valley middle schools.

PWLMS Principal Robin Pedrett said about one third -- about 260 -- of her students were absent Thursday.

At CVMS, 128 students missed school March 3, the most absences yet, according to attendance clerk Helen Kennedy. She began to see illnesses around Presidents' Day.

"Kids are sick before they know it and at this age, they share everything," she said.

Douglas County School District Chief Nurse Sandra Wartgow said sick students need to stay home, and parents need to be home with them.

"The biggest point we really need to make is that people who are ill with fever, whether that be body aches or headaches, need to stay home until the fever subsides or they are fever free," she said.

Wartgow said several rural areas have also been hit with the flu, according to the State Health Department.

"The number of sick students has really increased through the end of last week and the beginning of this week. Our middle schools have been affected probably the most. They've seen 20 to 30 percent illness out in their populations. It is a flu bug that has been going around, onset with fever and soar throat."

Fevers have been between 100 to 104 degrees, last three to four days, and are followed by severe congestion and a cough, which can last several weeks.

"Most of it is viral in nature," Wartgow said. "However, some kids have ended up getting strep throats, pneumonias and sinus infections as a result of the flu."

School nurses have sent home students with a fever of 99 degrees or more, the temperature at which they are considered contagious.

CVMS Principal Marty Swisher, who had a cough on Thursday, said he has never seen a spread of illness like this in Douglas County schools. He said teachers, who have also been out sick, are giving students time to recuperate.

"We're encouraging a lot of handwashing," he said. "And we're keeping a lot of Kleenex available. The bottom line is, if your child is sick, it's not just detrimental to them to send them to school, but for the rest of the kids. Our bottom line is to make sure the kids get back to health."

At Douglas High, Principal Tom Morgan said he had not heard much about absences due to illness.

On Thursday, 264 DHS students missed school, with 86 of those marked sick and 70 unverified, according to DHS attendance clerk Anita Ovard.

"A couple of weeks ago, I think we had more illnesses," she said. "As far as the length of the illnesses, a lot of students will miss a day and then come back and then miss a day or two after that, but for the most part, kids try to be here."