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Knox County Schools takes sick day(s) Shelby Whitehead Staff Writer
UT and East Tennessee schools learned just how quickly the flu can spread last week. Schools were forced to close due to illness spreading quickly through classrooms. Knox County Schools, specifically, were closed for this reason from Feb. 7–10. The illnesses within Knoxville schools can be traced back to Feb. 6, when attendance numbers were high in the morning but dropped as the day progressed. One of the main motivations for canceling schools was the amount of teachers and substitutes who fell ill, resulting in an inadequate number of people able to lead classes. An estimated 700 staff members, including bus drivers and substitute teachers, were absent from Knox County Schools. “Any time you have large numbers of people who come together, especially children, there is
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a risk of illness spreading,” Carly Harrington, Knox County Schools’ director of public affairs, said. Illness was further spread within the schools when already sick students would come to school only to be signed out before dismissal. By the time those students were sent home, the illness had spread to others, thus perpetuating a cycle. “During the time school was closed, our custodians and maintenance crews were ‘all hands on deck’ to clean and disinfect classrooms and public areas of the schools,” Harrington said. “We often encourage good hygiene among our students, including washing hands and covering the mouth when coughing. Also, we ask families to keep sick students home until they feel better.” School system closings due to illness include Alcoa City, Anderson County, Blount County, Campbell County, Knox County, Lenoir City, Jefferson County and Sevier County, among many others. Knoxville schools saw confirmed instances of
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the flu, non-flu respiratory illness and an intestinal bug. The flu was the predominant illness seen in the past few weeks, specifically Flu A. Flu A is a flu variant that was administered with this year’s vaccine. However, the CDC said this year’s vaccine has only been 45 percent effective. The CDC has also classified East Tennessee as a regional outbreak. The flu is spread through droplets that escape an individual’s body whenever a cough is released. Nearby individuals who breathe in the droplets can become infected with the virus. Since viruses cannot be treated with antibiotics, prevention is the best policy. Darrell Brackett, associate director of the Student Health Center, advises proper coughing etiquette – that is, coughing or sneezing into the bend of the elbow to prevent spreading droplets. “The number one way to prevent the spread of disease – of any disease – is good hand washing,” Brackett said. “Another very important practice is to cover your cough.”
Thursday, February 23, 2017