Hundreds stay home sick from school

Marisa O’Neil

More than 400 Corona del Mar High School students called in sick on

Friday.

At Sonora Elementary School in Costa Mesa, 25% of its student body

was home sick on Friday.

These exceptionally high absentee rates, which were seen at

schools across the district, were likely the result of an early flu

season, district officials said.

At least 10% of students at 11 schools either stayed home or were

sent home, Newport-Mesa Unified School District spokeswoman Jane

Garland said.

Though none has yet been confirmed as a case of the flu, she said

the district planned to report the information to the County of

Orange Health Care Agency.

“It’s uncommon to get absentee rates that high,” Garland said. “As

far as any of us can remember, at least in the past 10 years, we

haven’t seen that at even one school [because of a specific

illness].”

At Corona del Mar High School, she said, 390 students were home

sick on Thursday, and that number passed 400 on Friday.

Ensign Middle School might send home three or four students with a

fever on an average day, Principal Edward Wong said. On Friday, they

sent home four or five times that number.

“It’s everywhere,” Wong said. “We’ve had a lot of kids sick with

the flu and colds. I’m not sure exactly how many, but I know it’s an

inordinately high number.”

Newport Harbor and Costa Mesa high schools, Harper Preschool and

Mariners, Wilson, Rea and Pomona elementary schools also had more

than 10% of their students home sick on Friday, Garland said.

A nurse at Corona del Mar High School did swab tests on ill

students on Thursday to check for the flu, Garland said. She expects

results back Monday from the County of Orange Health Care Agency.

The healthcare agency does not require school districts to report

high absentee rates, spokeswoman Tricia Arcelona said. Last week,

however, the head of Epidemiology, Hildy Meyers, met with officials

from county school districts and encouraged them to report absentee

rates higher than 10% at their schools.

“When they do [notify us], our epidemiology department reviews

attendance records and obtains specimens to evaluate,” Arcelona said.

“If it’s the flu or some other disease, we notify the parents.”

As of Friday afternoon, Arcelona said she did not know of any

districts that had notified her agency about possible outbreaks.

So far, she said, there are 136 confirmed cases of influenza in

Orange County, 73 of them in patients under the age of 5. Of the

total, 92 are the more severe influenza A, one is the less severe

influenza B, and the rest could not be classified.

Those numbers may not necessarily be complete, she said, because

doctors are not required to report the flu.

Flu symptoms can include a fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry

cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose and muscle aches, according

to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Patients may also

experience nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, which are more common in

children.

Taking general precautions -- washing hands frequently, covering

the mouth when coughing or sneezing -- can help stem the spread of

the flu. The county health agency still has flu shots available for

those who fall into high-risk groups, including elderly patients and

children who have chronic illnesses.

But Newport-Mesa schools may have time on their sides. The weekend

and upcoming three-week vacation may let the flu die down.

“We might be in good shape [going into winter break],” Garland

said. “It’s not fun being sick for the holidays, but it might help

keep it from spreading.”

* MARISA O’NEIL covers education and may be reached at (949)

574-4268 or by e-mail at marisa.oneil@latimes.com.