The flu season is so severe that it's forcing schools to close across the country
Schools across the United States are being forced to close due to surges of influenza and other seasonal illnesses. As the 2024–2025 flu season rages on with no peak yet in sight, many school systems are overwhelmed with sick students and staff members.
In the past week, a swath of schools and even entire school districts have announced closures in at least 10 states. These include Texas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, among others.
It's a measure reminiscent of the COVID lockdown era: schools closing their doors — some canceling classes entirely, while others pivot to remote learning — due to widespread illness. However, this time, influenza is the main culprit, and the school closures are short-lived, with most lasting only a few days.
Flu is a common and highly contagious respiratory illness that can cause a week's worth of miserable symptoms such as a fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny nose and body aches. Influenza viruses transmit easily from person to person through respiratory droplets.
After a late start, this flu season is in full force.
As of Feb. 7, flu activity remains high and continues to increase across the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control FluView surveillance report for the week ending on Feb. 1, the most recent data available.
At least 43 states and the District of Columbia are currently reporting "very high" or "high" influenza-like illness activity, per the CDC. Flu-related ER visits and hospitalizations are also surging.
Cases are soaring among children, and at least 57 pediatric flu deaths have been reported this season so far.
'What worries us the most are bacterial infections that can follow alongside influenza (and) get kids super, super sick. ... Flu itself and those complications can lead to death in children. ... Influenza is very scary,' Dr. Jason Newland, the division chief of infectious diseases at Nationwide Children's Hospital, tells TODAY.com.
At the same time, the U.S. is also seeing waves of norovirus, COVID-19 and RSV, which some are calling a 'quad-demic.'
'The viral surge we're seeing now is challenging,' Dr. Torey Mack, the chief medical officer of Children's Hospital Association, which represents over 200 hospitals nationally, tells TODAY.com.
In addition to overcrowded emergency rooms and doctor's offices, schools are feeling the impact.
So far, there have been at least 24 million illnesses, 310,000 hospitalizations, and 13,000 deaths from influenza this season, according to CDC estimates.
Nationally, the flu test positivity rate has risen to 31%, up from just 18% in mid-January, per the latest CDC data.
"We're having a very sustained, moderately severe flu season and seeing lots of hospitalizations. The numbers haven't gone down, so we're still in the middle of it," Dr. William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, tells TODAY.com.
In the U.S., flu activity tends to peak between December and February. However, this year's flu season started much later than usual, ramping up in December and taking off after the holidays. According to many experts, the peak has yet to come, and elevated flu activity is expected to continue for weeks.
Schools are breeding grounds for germs. "Children in particular are great distributors of influenza viruses," says Schaffner. Most school facilities are enclosed settings, where there is plenty of close contact and frequent sharing of objects and surfaces, which makes it easy for flu viruses to spread.
Although the school closures may seem concerning, experts say it's not surprising to see during an intense wave of illness.
'Closing schools for a period of time as a way of letting the outbreak pass is something local school boards sometimes have to resort to,' says Schaffner. 'It won't eliminate a growing outbreak, but it could very well slow it down.'
'Schools close also because the adults in the school system are affected and need to take time off, so they can't run the school,' he adds. Many schools are taking the closures as an opportunity to deep-clean facilities.
The experts say these closures will likely not lead to full lockdowns, and are a short-lived measure.
"I would hope we would never shut schools down again, but if it's only for a couple days before this (virus) gets through everybody, that's probably OK," says Newland.
Here are some of the states where schools are closing.
Multiple school districts in Texas shut down last week due to surges in flu and other illnesses.
Godley Independent School District in Godley, Texas, closed after reporting a 30% drop in attendance across their campuses, NBC affiliate NBC5 DFW reported. The day before closing, at least 650 students and 60 staff members were out sick with the flu, Jeff Meador, chief communications officer for Godley ISD, told NBC5.
'Our custodians .... are all working at various campuses, doing deep cleaning and sanitizing,' Meador said.
Comanche Independent School District in Comanche, Texas, and Morgan Independent School District also closed last week.
"Right now in our area, flu rates are very, very high, and depending on the severity of symptoms, some of these kids have been out of school having fevers for four or five days," Dr. Preeti Sharma, pediatric pulmonologist at Children's Health in Dallas, Texas, tells TODAY.com.
Children's Health has seen a staggering 40% increase in flu cases from the week prior, and Sharma says she's also noticed a large volume of patients with severe symptoms. "For many, the symptoms have been more severe than in the past, and there are some reports of a higher rate of pneumonia with flu more recently," says Sharma.
"Flu positive specimens reported to public health continue to increase across all regions," a spokesperson with the Texas Department of State Health Services tells TODAY.com in a statement. "For pediatrics, we continue to see high influenza activity. For the 2024-2025 season, we currently have 4 confirmed influenza-associated pediatric fatalities."
In Ohio, which is experiencing very high flu activity, multiple schools were forced to close this week due to a wave of flu.
'Right now, if you come in here and you're getting tested for influenza ... over 40% of the time, it's going to be positive for flu, and that's super high,' says Newland, who is based in Columbus.
'The kids all came back to school (after the holidays), and now that we're about four weeks in the school year, they've all been mingling together and we see it transmit across everybody,' says Newland.
St. Hilary School in Fairlawn, Ohio, temporarily shut down after 20% of students and 15% of staff were out sick, NBC affiliate WKYC 3 Studios in Cleveland reported.
Coventry Local Schools in Northeast Ohio also closed this week, citing a bus driver shortage due to increased seasonal illness.
Tennessee has some of the highest flu levels in the nation. It's overwhelming emergency rooms, as well as schools, says Schaffner, who works in Nashville.
At least three school districts in Middle Tennessee have closed this week due to widespread illness, NBC affiliate WSMV-TV reported. These include Lebanon Special School District, Houston County Schools and Lincoln County Schools.
"Not only are the children getting sick, but the teachers, the administrators, the custodians and whoever is working in the school system gets ill," says Schaffner.
Georgia is another flu hot spot in the Southeast.
Polk School District in Georgia closed all schools and facilities last Friday and Monday due to a surge of flu and norovirus, which sickened 761 students, NBC affiliate WXIA-TV reported. The school district said the outbreaks also caused a shortage of staff and that the closures would allow for deep cleaning.
"Decisions about school closures or switching to online or virtual are made by the schools ... (and) typically based on the number of students, staff, and teachers who are out sick, and the quality of learning that can be achieved given those absences," Nancy Nydam, director of communications for the Georgia Department of Health, tells TODAY.com in a statement.
Multiple schools in Virginia have closed in the last week, citing flu outbreaks and staffing shortages.
"Flu levels in Virginia are currently very high. ... Flu infections are particularly impacting children, with nearly 1 in 5 ED visits for children being for flu. In recent weeks, Virginia has reported many large flu outbreaks in schools, daycares, and in long-term care facilities," Dr. Laurie Forlano, state epidemiologist with the Virginia Department of Health, tells TODAY.com in a statement.
Schools across Oklahoma are moving to virtual learning as flu cases soar among kids, local affiliate KFOR-TV reported.
"Influenza activity in Oklahoma is high and continues to increase, as our influenza-associated hospitalizations reach a historic high. In January, kids under the age of 18 made up just under 60% of our influenza sentinel laboratory testing percent positivity," a spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Department of Health tells TODAY.com in a statement.
Schools in Sioux City, Iowa, and Polk County have closed down due to illness, including influenza, according to reports from local NBC affiliates.
'We are seeing a marked uptick in illness among students and staff in schools across Polk County,' said Juliann Van Liew, Director of the Iowa's Polk County Health Department in a mid-January statement. 'It's crucial that we work together as a community to reduce the spread of these illnesses and keep our kids and community healthy.'
Multiple school districts in Southeast and Southwest Missouri have closed due to flu and other illnesses, local outlets have reported.
"Data does indicate higher (flu) activity ... with the highest rates among those in the 0-4 and 5-24 years. It is not unusual for there to be more than one cause of illness this time of year. However, the data suggests the increase in seasonal influenza A is a contributing factor," a spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services tells TODAY.com in a statement.
In the Louisville area of Kentucky, Oldham County School District closed for three days after more than 1,700 students, 200 staff members, and 15 bus drivers were absent due to widespread illness.
"The latest data from Kentucky's respiratory disease dashboard indicate that emergency department (ED) visits related to influenza are increasing and currently account for 15% of all ED visits among pediatric patients," a spokesperson for the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services tells TODAY.com in a statement.
Additionally, schools have closed due to flu and flu-related absences in Alabama, Indiana and other states.
It's not too late to get a flu shot, experts say. The CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older get a seasonal influenza vaccine.
The flu shot can offer continued protection against multiple strains, including flu A and flu B, for months. The U.S. flu season typically goes through the spring.
'It's very possible that we'll see a second peak of influenza B later in the season ... and getting a flu shot may still protect against the next wave,' says Sharma.
The flu shot is especially important for people at higher risk of developing severe illness, the experts say. High-risk groups include people over 65, children under 2, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems or underlying health conditions.
Besides getting a flu shot, you can take simple actions to prevent flu: Stay home when sick, avoid contact with sick people, wash your hands often, wear a mask in crowded indoor places, and cover coughs and sneezes.
Anyone with a fever should stay home for at least 24 hours until they're fever-free without any medication, says Sharma.
In most cases, people will recover from flu on their own without treatment within about a week. Rest, hydration and over-the-counter fever or pain medication can help with symptoms. Antiviral drugs, such as Tamiflu, can treat or prevent flu illness and are especially important for high-risk groups, per the CDC.
If you have severe flu symptoms, you're in a high-risk group, or you have concerns about your illness, always consult with a doctor.
You should seek urgent medical attention if you or your child experience difficulty breathing, a very high fever, signs of dehydration, persistent vomiting, or mental confusion, says Sharma.
'Anytime a parent is worried, we encourage them to reach out,' says Sharma.This article was originally published on TODAY.com
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The lifelong friendships people usually make in college were simply underdeveloped for me. I also feel like the pandemic made cellphone addiction way worse for Gen Z. As someone who's not screen addicted, I find it hard to connect these days with people around my age. They're always on their phones. It's exhausting to try to hold a conversation with someone who's only half present." —Anonymous, 26, Maryland Do you agree or disagree with these answers? Is there anything you would add? Comment below!
