Influenza outbreak cancels activities

Schools asked to do symptom checklists with students

MOSES LAKE — Beginning today, all schools in the Moses Lake School District are being asked to fill out symptom checklists with students who exhibit fu-like symptoms.

The checkalists include taking

temperature readings and looking for symptoms such as head-aches, tiredness, vomiting and body or muscle aches students may have.

"The idea is if they have those symptoms themselves or are in close contact with those that have those symptoms there is a good chance they have the flu themselves," said MLSD special assistant to the superintendent P.J. De Benedetti.

Students who have a temperature of 99 degrees or higher are not being permitted to participate in school-related activities outside of town, or those held indoors.

Scheduled events such as the blood drive at Moses Lake High School and career day at Frontier Middle School, both initially planned for today, have been canceled.

Events bringing people from the community and surrounding areas into the schools have been put on hold.

"We're suspending activities that mix student groups with another student group or that mixes students with the public," said Grant County Health District personal health services coordinator Peggy Grigg.

Some of those events are only held once a year.

"We just really commend the school on their attitude to be proactive with us and cooperative," Grigg said.

Reports of students displaying symptoms of Influenza began within the last two weeks when attendance numbers at Chief Moses and Frontier middle schools were significantly lower than usual.

Now district and health officials are seeing more students with symptoms at the elementary level and in some staff members.

Influenza is a viral infection which can be caused by three viruses. Influenza A usually results in larger outbreaks and is a virus that is continuously changing, whereas types B and C are often known for causing smaller outbreaks and milder illnesses.

As of Thursday, the highest absentee rates were present at MLHS with 194 in the first half of the day, 142 at CMMS and FMS, 54 at Longview Elementary and 52 at North Elementary.

Grigg has not been notified of any other districts in the area experiencing high absentee rates due to the flu.