Winter illnesses empty classrooms

By Staff
SPARSE CROWD – One of Cathy McFerrin's seventh-grade science classes had almost half of its students out sick Thursday. Of the 526 students at Magnolia Middle School, 104 were absent Thursday. Photo by Paula Merritt
By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
Jan. 24, 2003
Sick children have stayed home in droves this week, leaving some Meridian and Lauderdale County public school classrooms half-filled with teachers and students.
At Clarkdale Attendance Center, which has 975 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, school secretary Kay Beech said more than 200 students have been absent every day this week.
The main cause: School and health officials blame cases of influenza and gastrointestinal viruses which may include the Norwalk viruses that caused problems last fall on several cruise lines.
Mary Currier, state epidemiologist, said the Norwalk viruses are common and contagious. She said it can be transmitted by food, water or person-to-person.
Currier added, however, that the virus is not required to be reported to the Mississippi Department of Health the state agency with which she works.
Flu hits Mississippi
Currier also said the state doesn't require doctors report flu cases to the Department of Health. But she said the department has confirmed influenza cases in Jackson and Hattiesburg.
Gastrointestinal viruses are more typical in the summer months, Currier said. But, she said, the Norwalk viruses don't seem to have a seasonal preference.
Currier has not had any confirmed reports of schools closing in Mississippi due to illnesses this year, although unusually high numbers of absences have been reported in other school districts around the state.
Meridian and Lauderdale County school districts could not provide overall absentee figures from their schools. However, a check with area schools found many struggling with high absenteeism.
Schools weather absences
Kim Benton, principal of Oakland Heights Elementary School, said that about 20 percent of her 520 students have been absent all week.
She said the children have had fever and complain of headaches and some with sore throats.
The illnesses have affected teacher attendance as well. Benton said nine teachers were absent Tuesday, the day classes resumed this week after Martin Luther King Jr. Day was observed Monday.
West Lauderdale Elementary School had eight teachers absent Wednesday and six absent on Thursday as well as 161 students absent of the school's 730 students. West Lauderdale Middle School also reported about 150 students absent Wednesday.
At Magnolia Middle School in Meridian 104 students were absent Thursday out of 526 enrolled.