Officials from the Whitley County Health Dept. said Thursday that influenza is widespread throughout the county and independent school districts.
Gail Timperio, Director of the Whitley County Health Department, did not pinpoint schools or numbers yesterday, but said cases had been confirmed in all the county’s school districts.
Timperio joined Whitley County School Superintendent Lonnie Anderson in a recorded message for parents that was sent on the district’s One Call system, stating that that there are children with confirmed Type A influenza in the school district. She added that health officials are assuming those diagnosed with Type A influenza have the H1N1 virus, otherwise known as "Swine Flue."
Anderson said the message was to notify parents of the situation, but to also encourage parents to do what they can to prevent the spread of the virus. Anderson said parents need to caution their children to use good hygiene habits, such as washing their hands, coughing into the elbow and children having a fever over 100 degrees should be kept home for 24 hours.
Read more about this in next Wednesday’s edition of the News Journal.
