Early flu season arrives in Haywood and prompts one school closure
Oct. 28—The flu has arrived in Haywood and is predicted to spread quickly now that it's here, something Shining Rock Classical Academy charter school witnessed first hand this week.
The school closed Friday and Monday in hopes of tamping down a flu outbreak by keeping everyone at home for a prolonged four-day weekend. Nearly one-quarter of the school was absent as of 1 p.m. Thursday afternoon, a number that had climbed over the course of the day.
"Changing a schedule and closing school is not something that we want to do. However, we have reached the point in which it is neither productive or healthy to bring everyone together," Head of School Joshua Morgan said Thursday afternoon.
Morgan said many absences were due to confirmed flu cases. Others hadn't gotten a flu test but had flu-like symptoms.
Urgent care centers in Haywood County have also reported seeing flu cases already. But for now, the spread of flu is in the early stages and not yet widespread — with outbreaks like the one at Shining Rock appearing to be localized for now.
Haywood County Schools, meanwhile, had an average absentee rate of 8% in K-8 schools on Thursday. That is twice the normal absence rate, but it fluctuated among individual schools. Some had absences lower than average, while others were much higher. Clyde Elementary had an absence rate of 16%, for example, again a possible indicator of localized spread.
Superintendent Bill Nolte could not confirm whether the higher-than-average absence rate was due to the flu, however, noting that a head-and-chest cold has been going around for a few weeks.
Health officials have been warning of an early flu season since summer and urging the public not to delay in getting a flu shot. It takes two weeks for a flu shot to reach full effectiveness.
"The best way to reduce the risk of seasonal flu is to get vaccinated," said Sarah Henderson, Haywood County public health director.
Those not current on their COVID vaccine can get boosted at the same time when getting their flu shot.
This year's flu strain is also more severe. North Carolina had its first flu death this week by an adult in the western part of the state, but the age and hometown were not released by health officials to protect privacy.
An increase of emergency room visits related to the flu were seen across North Carolina this week, prompting a memo from state public health officials. The memo went out to all 100 county health departments, which were asked to pass along the warning to medical providers in their communities to make them "aware of this early increase that may predict a challenging season."
The CDC, which tracks the flu nationally, reported that cases are currently highest in the Southeast.
The last two flu seasons saw a historically low number of cases in North Carolina. That's largely due to the COVID precautions being followed in 2020 and 2021. Students were still wearing masks in school per state mandate last winter, for example.
"Avoid close contact with individuals who are sick and stay home from work or school when you are experiencing flu-like symptoms such as cough, runny nose, body aches, sore throat, or fever. Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing and wash your hands often," Henderson said.
