Several schools in the US have closed their doors due to rising flu infections.
Christian Heritage Academy in Rocky Mount, Virginia, closed his doors on Thursday and Friday this week after one in six students was sick of the flu.
Almost half of the teachers fell ill or had to take care of sick family members, leaving the 300 student private school short disorders.
Less than 20 miles away, a third of the 200-student body in Snow Creek Elementary was absent with the flu or flu-like symptoms, according to local news items.
In the meantime, the entire West Independent School District in Texas closed its doors on Thursday and Friday because of “the widespread flu and diseases and staff.”
And several schools in Oklahoma are closed or went remotely after one in four flu tests in the state came back positively.
The influx of closures comes when the US is confronted with a 'quad -dismissal' of winter diseases – flu, covid, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and norovirus.
The latest CDC data shows that flu activity remains 'very high' in 28 states, including those with the school closures, double the quantity of the week before.
Several public schools in the US have closed their doors due to the rising levels of the flu (stock image)
Experts have suggested that although an increase in diseases such as the flu in the winter is customary, the rise could be partly due to falling vaccine rates.
Influenza spreads through drops that become in the air when someone coughs or sneezes, as well as contact with infected surfaces.
It is more common in the winter as colder temperatures force people to spend more time indoors, so that more people breathe the same air or touch the same surfaces.
About 40 million Americans get sick every year with flu and around 36,000 die.
Leadership for Christian Heritage Academy, a private school with 350 students for children at kindergarten through high school, said it had to close due to a shortage of teachers and replacements.
Josh Smallwood, the head of school at Christian Heritage Academy, told Local News: 'We just couldn't do the school for the day.
“We have a lot of really good substitutes who are faithful, but we don't have that amount of replacements to cover that amount of teachers and faculty and staff who are out.”
Smallwood said that 16 percent of students were absent from Wednesday, together with 44 percent of the staff.
The school is said to be cleaned and cleaned while students are out.
West Independent School District in West, Texas – 70 miles outside Dallas – announced on Wednesday that all schools in the district would close Thursday and Friday.
The announcement on Facebook said: “Use this time to get better, rest and restore in order for a safe and successful return to school on Monday, February 3, 2025.”
According to the Oklahoman, at least five districts in Oklahoma have moved to external learning due to the spread of flu.
Lindsay Public Schools said in a Facebook message that it will learn from a distance on Tuesday and Wednesday because of a large number of students and faculty. '
About 70 miles away, the Piedmont public schools warned about 'a significant increase in the disease in staff, replacement teachers, bus drivers and students before she closed on Thursday and Friday.
The screenshot above shows an announcement from the West Independent School District in Texas about school closures due to the flu
According to CDC data for the week of January 25, the newest available flu positive rates have risen by 30 percent of the flu tests, a positive back, an increase of 25 percent the week before.
The hospitalization also rose from 41 per 100,000 people in the week from January 18 to 52 per 100,000 in the week of January 25.
In addition, 38,255 Americans were admitted to the hospital with the flu compared to 31,234 the week before.
There were also 16 flu -related deaths in children that week, which brought the season total to 47.
About 16 million Americans have fallen sick and 8,300 have died this season so far.
The CDC also measures viral activity based on the percentage of visiting the first aid for these circumstances. Levels in each state are compared with the national average to determine whether they are 'minimal', 'low', 'moderate', 'high', or 'very high'.
The higher the designation, the faster the disease spreads in an area.
Before the week of January 25, 28 states had 'very high' levels of flu activity, including Texas, Virginia and Oklahoma.
Wyoming was the only state with 'low' levels, and only Montana, Alaska and West Virginia had 'minimal' levels.
Treatment for flu includes rest, liquids and antiviral drugs and oxygen therapy in severe cases.
