SAN ANTONIO – Two North East ISD elementary schools will use disinfectant misting machines after high flu numbers were reported on both campuses.
Sixty flu cases were confirmed at Roan Forest Elementary School, according to a spokesperson from the district. At Encino Park Elementary School, 34 flu cases have been reported.
Flu on the rise in Bexar County, statewide
Neither school has canceled class, but officials are using the disinfectant machines to sanitize all surfaces.
The schools’ attendance rates are about 92%, according to the district.
On Jan. 14, Ingram ISD announced a closure at its elementary school due to the flu.
Anita Kurian, assistant director of the Metropolitan Health District, urges parents to get their children a flu shot.
The peak for flu season is usually around this time of the year, and it ends around May.
Despite the higher numbers, there is good news.
“This is the second week in a row we are seeing a decline in the influenza activity in our community,” Kurian said.
She said area districts and Metro Health are in constant communication, monitoring the flu numbers and other potential viruses. Health officials are urging schools and parents for more handwashing stations and clean surfaces on campus and at home.
“But you need to remember that your surfaces and the objects that you touch, or those objects that you clean, are only as clean as the next hand that touches it,” Kurian said. “So the emphasis should be on personal hand hygiene.”
Click here for information on Metro Health’s immunization program.