Flu continues to hammer Boone County

Flu cases continue to be high in Boone County, The Columbia/Boone County Health Department says it saw 361 cases from January 14-20.

It brings the total number of cases this flu season to 1,888.

It is has been a terrible flu season, with more than 30,000 confirmed cases since October 2017 in Missouri. Doctors are saying that we are still at the peak of flu season, and they expect the flu to last through early April.

We asked Leslie Duckworth, the Manager of Safety, Infection, Prevention & Quality at Boone Hospital how to decide when it is best to go to emergency room or to wait the symptoms out. She said, “If they recognize that something’s off and they are not behaving normally, they have a high fever, then its best to check it out.” She also said that parents have good instincts about their children and when things might seem off, but that patients with chronic conditions are at the utmost risk because the influenza can exacerbate their chronic illness. We were told to especially watch out for breathing problems. Doctors state that patients younger than 5 and older than 65 should go to the doctor.

We spoke to senior citizen resident Carl Mongler who said how he keeps himself safe during flu season “I get vaccinated every year for the flu and so far it has worked out very well for me.”

ABC 17 News also reached out to a number of mid-Missouri school districts about how the flu is affecting them. Here are their responses:

Columbia Public Schools:

“No, nothing abnormal when compared to prior weeks or this time of year in general. Keep in mind that we provide the flu vaccine for all students and staff in CPS, which helps keep our numbers down when compared with other districts or cities.”

Sturgeon School District:

“Yes. We have had several students and staff out with the flu over the past couple of weeks. Our custodians usually increase the frequency of cleaning areas which can be affected by sicknesses such as the flu such as water fountains, doorknobs, etc. along with regular cleaning as usual. We also have Lysol on our buses for our drivers too periodically spray to eliminate germs on the buses. Essentially, what I have heard from staff is that their doctors advise them to just let it run its course.”

Eldon School District:

“Here is what I can tell you, the flu hits us each year. It can be worse on certain years. This year we did have a few days that attendance was down due to the flu but not an alarming rate. Today we are at 97% attendance. I think that our do diligence in cleaning and communicating with parents as well has having some built in days off (Christmas, MLK day..) as well as a couple snow days have given us enough time to stay on top of the spread. I will say however this can change quickly so it is always something we try and stay ahead of. “

Hallsville School District:

“Although we’ve heard of a few cases of the flu and strep, our district hasn’t noticed a drop in attendance rates with our students or staff. We are right around normal for January annual percentages.

Considering preventive measures, we’ve had a few emails circulating internally about watching for the signs of the flu so our teachers are equipped with which symptoms to watch for in classrooms. Our elementary nursing staff has also communicated with parents regarding symptoms. But, again, we haven’t noticed a drop in attendance in our student body. “

North Callaway School District:

“We have not seen a major change in our attendance. Hopefully the flu will stay out of Callaway County”

Moberly School District:

“We have some flu cases and illness related absences, but I need to look into more detail. What’s your deadline?”

Wellsville-Middletown R-1:

“We haven’t been hit harder than usual…yet…but we do have our custodial staff doing extra sanitation cleaning of door knobs, toilet fixtures, drinking fountains, etc. We also had flu shots provided for staff and students a while back by the Mont.. Cnty. Health dept.”