Local schools report on prevalence of student illness; hospital sees increase in flu cases

While an area school closed early for the holiday break due to flu cases, Calhoun and Gordon County schools officials say the local schools are not experiencing a high number of student illness.

Still, the virus is making its way around town. A representative of Calhoun Prescriptions said this week the Red Bud Road pharmacy has been filling a lot of prescriptions for Tamiflu, an antiviral medication used to treat flu symptoms, while other local pharmacies had run out.

“My two kids are recovering and now my husband has it!” Calhoun resident Jaeme Boling commented on Facebook. “I’ve been drugging myself with lots of calcium and Airborne.”

Gordon Hospital has seen an increase in Influenza A, said spokeswoman Kimberly Brazell. Those suffering from Type A tend to have more severe symptoms, including headaches and stomach problems.

While five people have been hospitalized at Gordon Hospital with Type A flu in December, 165 have been to the emergency room with Type A flu and 14 with Type B flu.

Brazell said the number of patients has been increasing in the previous three weeks, since Thanksgiving, and the hospital is seeing a higher percentage of children with flu.

Northwest Georgia is seeing a lot of flu and flu-like illnesses, according to Logan Boss, public information officer for the Northwest Georgia Public Health Department.

“You see clusters of these illnesses,” said Boss. “This flu season is expected to be tough, mostly because the flu vaccine doesn’t match the strain that is currently circulating.”

Flu activity in Georgia is widespread, according to the Center for Disease Control’s Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report, which categorizes flu activity in states and territories as sporadic, local, regional and widespread.

Polk County Schools Superintendent William Hunter told parents Tuesday school would be dismissed for the holidays Wednesday at noon. Hunter said more than 1,300 students and 74 teachers were out sick. The last day before the

A Calhoun man said two men robbed him at gunpoint early Tuesday morning.

According to the Calhoun Police Department incident report:

The man, 28, a resident of Columbus Circle, said he left his apartment and walked down the stairs about 1:40 a.m.

“When he made it to the bottom step, he heard a male’s voice say, ‘ Shh, get on the ground, get on the ground.’”

He said he laid down on the ground and one of the robbers checked his pockets and rolled him over to his back.

One of the robbers, described as a black man standing about 5-feet-7inches or 5-feet-8-inches tall, had a black handgun. The other was mixed race, stood about 6-feet or 6feet-1-inch tall and had a crowbar.

The victim said he many have seen one of the men before in Dalton.

He said the duo left in a white mini van with black windows. They took his iPhone, car keys and $1,400 in cash.

holiday was supposed to be Friday.

Calhoun City School Director of Communications Peter Coombe said current attendance data compared with that of last year reveals the number of absentees for both Calhoun City and Gordon County schools are comparable. That indicates that although the winter season often brings bouts of illness, this season does not appear to be more significant than those of the past.

“Calhoun City Schools and Gordon County Schools continue to promote the use of safe hygiene practices in an effort to prevent the potential spread of illness,” Calhoun City Schools Superintendent Michele Taylor said. “We appreciate parents using sound judgment in keeping their students at home if they exhibit signs of significant illness.”

The last day of school for the holiday break was Friday for both city and county schools.

“Gordon County Schools along with our neighboring system, Calhoun City, have not seen a significant increase in absenteeism when compared with the same time period last year,” Gordon County Superintendent Susan Remillard said. “We continue to monitor attendance and student wellness as we finish the semester.”

The flu making the rounds is an H3N2 dominant strain, Boss said, which does not match this year’s flu vaccine.

“It is still a good idea to get the vaccine because it lessens the chance you’ll get another version of the flu,” Boss said.

Flu season typically starts in November, peaks in January or February and can last until March, Boss said.

“People who start showing symptoms should go to their doctor immediately,” Boss said. “Symptoms include fever, cough, stuffy or runny nose, sore throat, headaches, chills and fatigue.”

Going to the doctor quickly can make the flu much easier to treat, Boss explained.

“Within the first 48 hours of getting the flu, you can take anti-virals, which will lessen the length and severity of the sickness,” he said. “It is important to call when the symptoms first appear.”

Calhoun City and Gordon County schools encourage parents to keep home children who are displaying signs of illness such as fever, vomiting or diarrhea. A doctor’s note should be returned to the school, if applicable. Parents who are unsure of the need to keep their child home may contact their school’s nurse.

Gordon County Schools provided the following tips on deciding when to send sick children to school:

Go to School — If your child has any of the following symptoms, they should probably go to school:

Sniffles, a runny nose and a mild cough without a fever (this could be an allergic response to dust, pollen or seasonal changes)

Vague complaints of aches, pains or fatigue

Single episode of diarrhea or vomiting without any other symptoms

Stay at Home — If your child has any of the following symptoms, keep your child at home or make appropriate child care arrangements:

Eyes — thick mucus or pus draining from the eye or pink eye. ( With pink eye (conjunctivitis) you may see a white or yellow discharge, matted eyelids after sleep, eye pain and/or redness.)

Fever — temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Remember that a child must be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school.

Strep throat — the child may return to school after 24 hours of antibiotics.

Vomiting or diarrhea — vomiting or diarrhea two or more times within the past 24 hours

Lice or scabies — children may not return to school until they have been treated.

If you are unsure of the need to keep your child home, please feel free to contact your school’s nurse.

Take everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of germs, according to the CDC, such as:

Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)

While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.

Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs like the flu.