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.
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