Flu closes school, cancels games

    Murphy – Murphy High School was closed Friday and all activities, including sports, were canceled for the weekend due to the flu and strep throat.
    Out of 475 students, 129 were absent for illness Thursday. The number of students jumped from only 70 who were sick on Jan. 21. In addition, 17 faculty were out sick.
    Cherokee County Schools Superintendent Jeana Conley said no other school was even close to the numbers Murphy High had sick. However, she recommended that all high school student families self-quarantine to reduce the spread of the illnesses.
    “It’s very important to contain it if we can,” she said.
    Conley added that the Centers for Disease Control says that simply closing schools does not help stop the spread of illness. What does help is the combination of closing schools, cleaning and spreading awareness.
    Teachers that were healthy spent Friday cleaning the school. Parents of students at all schools are being asked to apply sanitizing spray to backpacks.
    Conley implored parents to keep their children home from school until they are fever-free for 24 hours without medication.
    “I know some people get concerned about attendance,” she said, adding that all principals have been directed to and agreed to be generous with the situation. Parents are also asked to write notes so there is a record of their child’s illness.
    By law, Conley said the school district is required to send a note to parents when their child misses six days simply to inform them of the number of absences.
    “Please don’t take that letter personal,” she said.
    Conley added that only a small number have been brought to court by the Cherokee County Department of Social Services – not the school – during her career, and those were “extreme cases.”
    Flu symptoms include a fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or feeling feverish, a cough and/or sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, headaches and/or body aches, chills, fatigue and nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea.
    To prevent the flu, the Cherokee County Health Department recommends washing hands, getting the vaccine, avoiding being around anyone who is sick and staying home if sick.
    Just before the winter break, Peachtree Elementary School closed for two days due to a flu outbreak in which 20 percent of the student body and 25 percent of the teachers were sick. The school calendar has eight days available for schools to close before days have to be made up at the end of the year.
    According to the CDC, flu activity is high in North Carolina as well as in Georgia and Tennessee. The N.C. Department of Health & Human Services reports the flu is widespread in the state, but also shows that illnesses typically spike around the first week of February.