Latest news with #ComancheISD
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Flu outbreak closes several North Texas schools for the week
The Brief Schools in Comanche and Godley ISD are closed because of an outbreak of the flu and other respiratory illnesses. Doctors at Cook Children's and Children's Health confirmed they are also seeing a high number of cases this week. Experts urge people to stay home if they feel sick. DALLAS - Several schools across North Texas have closed for the rest of the week as the flu and other illnesses spread through campuses, causing attendance rates to drop significantly. What we know At least three school districts and one charter school have shut down for the remainder of the week. In statements, district officials said attendance among both students and staff was already low, and even more students went home sick after being exposed to illnesses on campus. The following schools and districts have announced closures: Comanche ISD – Closed until Jan. 30 Godley ISD – Closed until Feb. 3 Treetops School International – Closed until Feb. 3 Other districts, including Caddo Mills ISD, have reported extremely low attendance but remain open. By the numbers On Tuesday, Godley ISD reported that nearly 650 students were absent, not including those who went home sick during the day. That's out of 3,200 enrolled students. An additional 60 staff members were out sick on Tuesday. Districts that remain open have reported attendance rates between 70% and 80%, far below normal levels. What they're saying "The overwhelming information that we received was that it was in the best interest of the health and safety of our students and staff to close down for a few days," said Jeff Meador, the chief communications officer at Godley ISD. What's next Staff at closed campuses will work to deep clean and sanitize facilities, according to officials from Treetops School International, Godley ISD, and Comanche ISD. Meanwhile, districts that remain open are urging students to wash their hands frequently and stay home if they are sick to prevent further spread. "It feels like everyone is saying that they have the flu or they know somebody who has the flu. That's what we're seeing," said Dr. Preeti Sharma, a pediatric pulmonologist with Children's Health. According to the Dallas hospital system, doctors saw 783 Influenza A cases during the week of Jan. 19. That's an 83% increase from the week prior. They're also seeing an increase in rhinovirus. "Sometimes you just get overwhelmed with the number of people who are sick at the same time. And so it may, that may necessitate kind of closing a school or trying to isolate people to control the spread," Dr. Sharma said. Cook Children's said flu cases are surging there too. Last week, the Fort Worth-based hospital system's ERs and urgent care offices in Fort Worth and Prosper saw more than 900 positive flu cases. Cook Children's said this year's flu season is shaping up to surpass the past several years. Experts say it's important to do your part to stay healthy. "Wash your hands. Use hand sanitizer. The other thing, if you feel bad and you don't feel just right, and especially if you're running a fever, you need to stay home," said Stephen Love, the president and CEO of the DFW Hospital Council. Symptoms of common contagious respiratory illnesses include: fever* or feeling feverish/chills cough sore throat runny or stuffy nose muscle or body aches headaches fatigue (tiredness) some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults. *It's important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever. Fever or chills Cough Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Sore throat Congestion or runny nose New loss of taste or smell Fatigue Muscle or body aches Headache Nausea or vomiting Diarrhea Runny nose Congestion Decrease in appetite Coughing Sneezing Fever Wheezing The Source Information in this article comes from statements made by Treetops School International, Godley ISD, Comanche ISD, and Caddo Mills ISD. FOX 4 also conducted interviews with Dr. Preeti Sharma, a pediatric pulmonologist with Children's Health, and Stephen Love with the DFW Hospital Council.
CBS News
29-01-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Flu surge forces some North Texas districts to close schools
NORTH TEXAS – A surge in flu cases is causing several North Texas school districts to shut down their campuses. Comanche ISD in Comanche County shut down all of its schools Tuesday and Wednesday because of spreading sickness. The district plans to reopen tomorrow. Morgan ISD, in Bosque County southeast of Glen Rose, has decided to shut down for the rest of the week and will reopen on Monday, Feb. 3. "Over the past three days, student and staff absences have increased and we have been at or below 70% attendance district-wide. We do not make this decision lightly, but the high number of staff and teacher absences prevents us from safely and effectively covering classes and other duties," the district said. Treetops International School in Euless will be closed for the rest of the week because of illness. Godley ISD, which mainly serves families in Johnson County, has also shut down campuses until Monday. "This was an extraordinary situation, but our superintendent and the leadership team, the campus principals all were weighing in," said Jeff Meador, the chief communications officer with Godley ISD. "And when we started to look at the numbers – the number of kids that were out, the number of teachers and staff were out – it quickly became a clear decision that we had to make to protect the health and safety of our students and staff." According to Godley ISD, 650 students missed class Tuesday and more were going home sick throughout the day, but the bigger issue is teacher absences. About 10 to 12 percent of its staff called out because of illness, which made it nearly impossible to offer effective instruction. "Because of that, we were combining classes, pulling in office aides and others to cover classes," Meador said. "It made us really look, and see the need to close down, do a reset, allow students and staff the opportunity to stay home and get well." They'll come back on Monday to newly sanitized campuses. "So that we do our part on making sure that the building, and everywhere that students go, everything they touch is as safe as we can make it," said Meador. The flu isn't just taking its toll on schools. North Texas hospitals are seeing a big increase in patients with the virus. Demand is so high for Tamiflu, the medicine used to treat the flu, that some pharmacies don't have it or are down to a box or two. According to CVS Health, there isn't a widespread shortage of Tamiflu or other flu-related medications, but an individual store may be temporarily out-of-stock because of the increased demand. A spokesperson for CVS said, "If an individual CVS Pharmacy store is temporarily out-of-stock, our pharmacy teams make every effort to ensure patients have access to the medications they need and, if possible, will work with patients and prescribers to identify potential alternatives." "Tamiflu is an antiviral medication that can decrease the amount of days you're sick," said Dr. Stephanie Felton, an attending physician at the Cook Children's Emergency Department. "If your child is healthy and has a normal immune system, their immune system will fight the flu without any medications." Doctors say most people can treat the flu at home with rest and fluids, but they urge patients not to go back to work or school until they've been fever-free for at least 24 hours. That will help stop the rapid spread of the virus. "Every year, we obviously see the flu," Dr. Felton said. "This year, I will say, that we're seeing an abundance of it." The larger school districts in North Texas haven't had to shut down any campuses yet, but both Mesquite and Arlington ISDs report an uptick in flu cases.
