Rise in flu cases causing concern at Katy Elementary School
KATY, Texas (KTRK) -- At Katy Elementary, there is a growing concern over the increase in flu cases.
Parents told ABC13 that they have heard a lot about the flu, especially for Kristi Brixey and her daughter Kamryn.
"That day she had 11 out of 21 present in her class and yesterday was 8 out of 21, today was 10," she said.
There has been an uptick in reporting of suspected and confirmed flu cases across Brazoria and Galveston counties.
"As a parent we were all receiving an email from the nurse stating that it's been really tough on the school overall and on the staff," parent Dawn Foster said.
At the Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Pedro Piedra says flu season is just starting, and we face a variety of winter threats.
"Flu season is just beginning. What we've been having is RSV outbreak, and that can look like influenza. Right now, there's low level, or what we would call regional level activity in the state of Texas. So flu activity has not hit hard yet."
To protect everyone, Katy ISD has been reminding parents of the policy in place to ensure students stay home when sick and return only if they are healthy.
The district's re-admittance policy is as follows:
The district's re-admittance policy is as follows:
- Free of fever (<100) for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Common trade names of products containing these medications include, but are not limited to Tylenol, Motrin and Advil. All aspirin-containing products should be avoided.
- Food and liquids have been tolerated for at least 24 hours without vomiting and/or diarrhea, and without the use of medication to relieve symptoms.
- Students diagnosed with a contagious illness that is being treated with prescription medication, must complete a minimum of 24 hours of the prescribed medication dosage prior to returning to school.
The district adds that a doctor's note does not supersede the "24 hour rule."
