Schools in the Tennessee Valley close amidst spike in flu cases

McMinn County Schools will operate via remote learning today and tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 12, due to rising illness among students and staff, as well as expected heavy rainfall and potential flooding. 

During the remote learning days, elementary and high school students can pick up meals at McMinn High School or Central High School from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

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From Local 3 News: The flu virus is at an all-time high in the state of Tennessee, being described as "very high" by the CDC.

McMinn, Polk, and Rhea Counties were several school systems that temporarily closed due to illness amongst students and staff.

The flu, caused by influenza viruses, spreads quickly through coughing, sneezing, or even talking with someone who’s infected. While the symptoms can be mild, the flu can also cause severe illness, particularly for certain groups.

Dr. Jeffrey Bennett, Chief of Hospital Medicine at Children's Hospital of Erlanger, explains that while flu hospitalizations among children are relatively rare, those who do end up in the hospital are usually very sick.

“The rate of hospital admissions among children with the flu is fairly low, and those that are admitted are typically very sick,” says Dr. Bennett.

However, adults are much more likely to experience severe complications. As we age or deal with other health conditions, our vulnerability to the flu increases.

"Because there are so many adults with other conditions, and as people age, their vulnerability to the flu can be very significant," Dr. Bennett explains.

One of the challenges with the flu is that people can spread the virus before they even show symptoms. Dr. Bennett says that this “delay” allows infected individuals to unknowingly pass the virus to others, especially in environments like schools.

"They're able to then continue spreading the virus as they just start to become symptomatic, and so it is a big chain reaction," he says.

Classrooms, where kids are in close quarters, are prime spots for the virus to spread. The extent of the flu’s spread in schools can depend on how many students have been vaccinated that year.

"Depending on how many of those children have been immunized against the flu strains that are circulating that year, you can have very widespread contagion within a classroom," Dr. Bennett notes.

To slow the flu’s spread, Dr. Bennett suggests basic preventive measures like washing hands frequently, covering coughs, and wearing masks. But he stresses that getting a flu vaccination is the most important step you can take.

“Getting a vaccination is important not only for your own health but can also be very important for the people that you're in contact with and the people that you love,” he says.
The Hamilton County department of education says, "Individual cases of influenza are not reportable in Tennessee, meaning providers are not mandated to report positive influenza cases to the Hamilton County Health Department. Instead, the Health Department monitors influenza levels in our community through various data methods including wastewater surveillance, ER visits, and voluntary reporting from private physician’s offices."