Area schools manage through flu season

Stephens County is experiencing a surge of influenza cases, and Marlow, Bray-Doyle and Central High superintendents said the same thing. It comes in waves. One student or staff member may get it, return to school, and then someone else in their family experiences it. Some teachers have been sick, stayed home, returned to work, and then had to take more sick days.

Marlow Superintendent Corey Holland said the absentee rate this week is about the same as it would be for students out for activities. "The week before was worse. I think we've been pretty fortunate." Marlow has an enrollment of 1,400 and on Friday there were about 150 students out because of illness.

Central High Superintendent Kevin Dyes is also recovering from the flu.

"We've had staff out and students, and probably running 10 percent, steady, siblings out then they will come back and that sort of thing," he said. "It was probably a bit worse when we came back from Christmas. We've had teachers out, one or two out, different flu (A or B or both) COVID, and even strep and COVID." While flu has always been something to factor, this year it's the combination of all the aforementioned viruses that are concerning.

Bray-Doyle Superintendent Dr. Smith Steigleder said this week has not been as bad as prior weeks for attendance, but the flu has hit the district hard and both students and staff "were dropping like flies."

Oklahoma's surge of flu reports is nearly 21 percent above the baseline (calculated at 10 percent). Additionally, the flu-like illness baseline is 4.6 percent and it is at 2.1 percent below that baseline. The report is released each Thursday by the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

"Current trends show rising levels of influenza, COVID-19 is plateauing and RSV is decreasing in Oklahoma," said Erica Rankin-Riley, Public Information Officer with OSDH.

A check throughout the rest of the county shows that most school districts continue to operate as normal. That's not the case in Caddo County, less than an hour away. On Wednesday, Cyril's school went to virtual learning and will not return to classroom until Tuesday, Feb. 6, because of sickness.

Also, on Tuesday, OSDH reported its first pediatric influenza death for the 2023-24 season. The death was in southeast Oklahoma, and the child was under the age of five. Since Sept. 1, 2023, more than 900 influenza-associated hospitalizations and 16 deaths have occurred.

Kendra Dougherty, director of OSDH Infectious Disease Prevention and Response Program, said "Even though influenza activity is decreasing nationally, Oklahoma experienced a delayed start in increasing activity than the rest of the country."