Students are going home sick, missing school for multiple days, and sometimes even up to a week. This has left students at Osceola missing valuable information and wondering if there is a reason behind this.

The Tampa Bay Times mentioned, “Tampa Bay hospitals are also reporting an increase in flu cases.” Currently an outbreak is on the rise in the Pinellas area. Many students have gone home sick, and this may be the cause.

A reason students are getting sick may be due to teens and kids having a higher positivity rate of the flu than in past outbreaks. According to Tampa Bay Times at John Hopkins Hospital, “The positivity rate among children tested for the virus rose to 30%.” This was double the positivity rates in December, which shows why so many kids and teens have been struggling with this illness in January.

To be able to identify if a person has the flu, there are a few common symptoms according to Tampa Bay Times.
These include:
– Cough
– Fever
– Sore throat
– Runny nose
– Fatigue

To help prevent the current outbreak here are some things students and teachers can do while on campus according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s, Dr. Juan Dumois:

– Avoid close contact if you know someone is sick
– Avoid touching your face
– Wash your hands frequently or use a form of disinfectant

The most common strand according to the Tampa Bay Times is H3. To find more information about this specific virus you can visit https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/viruses-types.html