.jpg)
Natural Bridge Elementary School students are back in school this week, but the surge in flu cases is continuing in the area, region and state.
NBES was forced to close from Tuesday through Friday last week due to illness, according to Rockbridge County Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Tim Martino. On the Monday prior to closing, 73 of the school’s 220 students were out sick, along with 10 staff members.
The school reopened Monday.
Martino noted that while no other schools in the district have been forced to close, attendance issues persist, and school nurses have been overwhelmed. The rapid spread of illness —compounded by seasonal colds and other viruses — has made it difficult to determine what is being transmitted.
To combat the spread, the district has been using Covidera sanitation techniques, including fogging all six county school buildings twice a week in addition to regular cleaning. Fogging involves dispersing a disinfectant mist throughout classrooms, hallways, and common areas to kill airborne and surface pathogens.
Local hospitals and clinics have also been inundated with flu cases. Augusta Health issued a press release urging the public to recognize flu symptoms and seek appropriate medical care to prevent unnecessary strain on hospitals.
Per the release, citizens should visit urgent care when they are suffering mild to moderate symptoms, feel the need for a flu test or antiviral medication, experience mild dehydration with dry mouth or dizziness or are seeking advice on managing the flu at home.
Meanwhile, the emergency department of the hospital should only be visited when experiencing difficulty breathing or chest pain, confusion or difficulty staying awake, severe dehydration , a sudden worsening of symptoms, or if the person is a high-risk individual (young children, elderly, pregnant women, those with chronic conditions).
Augusta Health emphasized that making the right health care choice ensures critical cases receive necessary emergency care while reducing strain on hospitals.
Carilion Clinic’s chief of infectious diseases, Dr. Thomas Kerkering, confirmed that flu cases are higher this season than in previous years.
“Like the entire region, Rockbridge County is seeing a higher number of influenza cases affecting all age groups,” Kerkering said. He urged the public to stay home if sick, get the flu vaccine, and consider Tamiflu, a prescription antiviral that can shorten the duration of symptoms if taken within five days of onset.
The latest data from the Central Shenandoah Health District shows that while COVID-19 and RSV cases peaked districtwide in late December and early January, flu cases have steadily increased over the last three months. In the week ending Feb. 1, flu accounted for 6.83% of all emergency department visits in the Central Shenandoah region (217 cases). Including urgent care visits, that number rises to 485 cases, or 9.38% of all visits — closely aligning with statewide trends.
Statewide, respiratory illnesses — including flu, COVID19, and RSV — made up 23.5% of emergency department visits last week, a sharp increase from the 16% recorded the previous two years during the same week.
District and statewide updates are available at the Virginia Department of Health’s Respiratory Illness Dashboard, found at https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/respiratory- diseases-in-virginia/data/, which tracks flu, COVID-19, and RSV cases.
All health officials consulted by The News-Gazette continued to stress flu prevention measures, including getting a flu vaccine, washing hands regularly, staying home when sick, and seeking early treatment with antivirals.
