Flu Cases Increase in Prince William County Schools

10 percent of students are absent from two county elementary schools

Prince William County has seen an increase in students suffering from flu-like symptoms, an official confirms to News4.

Two schools -- Lake Ridge and Yorkshire elementary schools -- are particularly hard-hit, with almost 10 percent of their populations out sick.

Some medical experts are calling this year's strain of flu the worst in more than a decade.

"Prince William County is seeing what a lot of areas are -- which is that it's flu season, and as a result we have a lot of students out," said Phil Kavits of Prince William County Schools.

He said that on Monday, emails and letters went out to parents of students at the school. They have also been providing information about preventive measures via school web sites.

"In a case like this, just simple things like hand-washing, like keeping students home for 24 hours after they have symptoms, and dealing with other routine things like vaccinations can really help" fight the spread of illness, Kavits said.

While there have been some reports of a widespread outbreak in as many as 10 schools, those reports are incorrect, Kavits said.

ALSO SEE:

Contact Us