Dozens of Mississippi students sick with flu

Special to The Mississippi Link

JACKSON, Miss. — School is just starting at many Mississippi schools, but dozens of kids are already staying at home sick with the flu.

According to the state Department of Education, the illnesses have arisen in school districts around the state in every grade level. According to the Health Department, it’s likely that some of the cases are H1N1 flu, but officials are telling parents not to panic.

In Warren County, 20 children are out sick. Their parents reported to the district that the children have the flu or flu-like symptoms. The school superintendent said that’s not an usually high number.

In Scott County, 12 children were home with the flu. In both cases, the school district hasn’t confirmed any of the students have the H1N1 flu.

The Health Department said at least some of the cases will be H1N1 flu, and because of the nature of kids in school, the flu will spread to most schools around the state. Health and education officials are working together to get information about the H1N1 flu to parents and teachers.

The Health Department said it’s unusual to have this many cases of the flu this time of year because this strain is new and people have yet to build up an immunity to it.

Even though it may sound scary to parents to hear the H1N1 flu will likely make it to local schools, health officials said parents should remain calm.

“The most important thing to remember is this type of influenza is very much like the influenza that goes around in the winter, except it’s not in the winter. So, with most children and adults, it should be an illness that makes you sick, you feel rotten, but you recover from it within four or five days,” said Dr. Mary Currier, the state’s epidemiologist.

Currier said parents and schools should stress good hand-washing practices. She also stressed covering mouths when coughing.

In Warren County, the school district has planned to install motion-sensor soap dispensers on school buses.

If your child is sick, you should keep them home. Don’t let them go back to school until 24 hours after their fever has broken.

Currier said most kids will not have complications if they get H1N1 flu, but if your child has a chronic respiratory illness, you should talk to your doctor.

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