According to The Centers for Disease Control, we are in the threshold of a flu epidemic. Hospitals are overwhelmed with flu patients, and schools are shutting down in the Ohio, Oklahoma, and North Texas.
According to Bonham Independent School District, all six of its schools will remain closed until next Wednesday. On average, the absentee rate is three percent, but Tuesday that rate increased to 14 percent in the district. Nearly 300 students and staff were out sick with flu symptoms.
The Fort Worth Independent School District is also taking proactive measures to stop the flu from spreading in its classrooms. The district offered flu vaccines at almost every one of its campuses before the winter break.
Wednesday, Fort Worth ISD officials will offer another campus clinic at their administration building for teachers and their family members who want a flu shot. The public school district wants to make sure classrooms are not severely affected.
“We want to give teachers the opportunity to get a flu shot,” said Clint Bond, spokesman for the Forth Worth ISD. “Some of our nurses have been reporting influenza like illnesses. We can't diagnose them on a campus level, so we refer them to their health care provider, but there does appear to be some absences related to the flu."
The CDC recommends children and adults should still receive an influenza vaccine.
The campus clinic will be open from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Fort Worth ISD Administration Building, located at 100 N University Dr. Fort Worth, TX 76107.
