Oklahoma City, Edmond schools closed Friday amid flu outbreaks to clean, halt spread
Oklahoma City Public Schools and Edmond Public Schools announced Thursday they would close campuses Friday as the districts work to clean and disinfect school buildings.
OKCPS will be in virtual learning, while Edmond schools will be closed.
Flu has been on the rise in Oklahoma since late November, reaching a peak in the week ending Jan. 18, the latest data available. That week, 25% of flu tests in the state came back positive, and there were three flu-associated deaths.
Other schools that have had to close this week to battle flu spread include Deer Creek, Lindsay, Dale, Piedmont, Ardmore and Marietta.
Here's what you need to know about which schools are affected and about flu in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma is not the only state dealing with an increase in flu cases. A quarter of all flu tests were positive across the U.S. for the week ending Jan. 18, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Strains of flu A were the predominant viruses reported that week.
Nearly 6% of visits to a health care provider were for respiratory illness symptoms, while 31,234 were admitted to the hospital with influenza.
According to the CDC's estimates, there have been at least 16 million illnesses, 190,000 hospitalizations and 8,300 deaths from flu so far this season.
Symptoms and their severity can vary for each person infected. But even in a person with little to no symptoms, the illness can be spread to others.
The signs and symptoms of the flu usually come on suddenly, the CDC says. Those who are sick often experience fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue. Vomiting and diarrhea can occur, more often in children than adults.
Those more susceptible to severe illness include children under 5, adults 65 or older, pregnant people and people with certain chronic health conditions.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: More Oklahoma school districts are closed, battling flu outbreaks
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