A high number of illnesses in Perkins County in the southwest part of the state have prompted the high school there to close down for the rest of the week.
According to the Southwest District Health Department, nearly 1 in 3, or about 36 out of 117, high school students in Grant have been diagnosed with influenza this week.
With such a high number of cases in such a small town, the school district shut the high school down so that more kids and staff do not become exposed to the flu. While stomach and intestine illnesses are commonly called the flu, those ailments are not the flu at all. Influenza consists of body aches, chills, dry cough, fever, headache, sore throat and stuffy nose.
While symptoms of the flu usually start 1 – 4 days after a person is infected, infected people can spread the flu to others before symptoms start and for another 3 – 4 days after they disappear.
Thanks to Josh Mackey, KOGA, Ogallala
Flu forces closure of high school
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