THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 15, 1995 TAG: 9512150500
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
A strain of the flu is sweeping through the Albemarle area, prompting unusually high absentee rates at some elementary schools. Symptoms include headaches, fever, lung congestion and stomachaches.
Hardest hit appears to be the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank school system, where up to a fifth of children at some elementary schools have missed school because of illness this week.
Other districts to see a swell in absent students in the past week include Perquimans, Dare, Chowan, Camden and the northern end of Currituck counties.
In Elizabeth City, more than 100 children were reported absent this week at three schools: Northside, Pasquotank and Sheep-Harney elementary schools, said Charles White, the schools-community relations director.
Central Elementary School appeared to be heading into the triple-digits, with 85 students out Wednesday. J.C. Sawyer Elementary also saw its sick-student population jump this week, with 51 absent Wednesday.
``What we are finding out is that it starts out as something of a headache and just starts going down the body,'' White said.
``It usually runs its course in three to four days,'' he added. ``It is very contagious. And we're also noticing that in seven to 10 days it appears to recurred,'' he added.
White said one reason the influenza may be more rampant at Pasquotank, Sheep-Harney and, to a lesser extent, Northside is because of the many students who live in clustered housing complexes.
``This could be a factor because you have large family groups in these schools, versus primarily single-family dwellings in some of the other schools,'' White said.
The high volume of Christmas shoppers, some of whom may be infected, also can contribute to the flu spreading to various parts of the county, he said.
Other areas also are experiencing high absenteeism in their elementary and middle schools.
``We've got it!'' said Ellen O'Neal, a secretary at Perquimans County Central Grammar School.
O'Neal said 61 of the school's 438 students never came in Tuesday. But the number had dropped to 54 on Wednesday. Another 10 to 15 were being sent home daily.
``This is an abnormal number of absences,'' O'Neal said. ``We haven't had this many out before except for a flu in February andchicken pox another time.''
At Hertford Grammar School, 66 of the primary school's 450 students were absent Wednesday. The school normally averages 20 absentees daily.
``So far - knock on wood - the faculty is well intact,'' Principal Bill Tice said.
In Camden, the virus also appears to be afflicting mainly the younger population. Twelve fourth-graders were sent home Wednesday.
``With the weather changing like it is, it's not unusual to have this happen at this time of year. But it is unusual for that many to go home in one day,'' said Tammie Tyndall, a school nurse at Camden Middle School.
High school students may not appear as afflicted, she added, because they tend to not complain as much about their health.
About 131 of about 800 students at D.F. Walker Elementary in the Edenton-Chowan school district missed school earlier this week, most later bringing in notes for a flu or strep throat, said Michelle Alexander, a schools spokeswoman.
The epidemic, however, appeared to be subsiding at Walker and at White Oak Elementary. Absentees at Walker were down to 89 by Wednesday, Alexander said.
In Currituck County, Moyock Elementary School appeared to be the only facility experiencing a real problem.
Normally the school, with about 700 students, reports about 15 absentees daily. Wednesday it turned in rolls with four times that amount, a schools spokeswoman said.
As with other areas, students were reporting headaches that eventually led to stomach cramps and vomiting.
``A new strain of a respiratory virus going around seems to be infecting a lot of the kids,'' said Debbie Dutton, a registered nurse with the Dare County Health Department.
The close quarters of most classrooms allow ``bugs'' to quickly spread, particularly when children return to school too soon.
``That's the thing about viruses - they do take seven to 10 days to get over,'' Dutton said.
``A child may physically feel better in 24 to 48 hours. But somewhere in the body they may still be harboring the virus. And when they come back to school, it spreads.''
White said physicians have prescribed Tylenol, or acetaminophen, for headaches and fever and clear liquids to quell stomachaches. Doctors also advise against giving children aspirin.
Schools officials hope things will improve by the time the children return to classes after the holidays. Most will get breaks of 10 days to two weeks.
``It will give it time to die down,'' O`Neal said.
KEYWORDS: INFLUENZA by CNB