COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) -The two week holiday break is over for school children just as an epidemic of flu is spiking. If your child has any symptoms of the flu like running a temperature, coughing or nausea, school officials would rather you kept them home to prevent the spread of the virus. In Calhoun County, officials say the flu outbreak there has passed its peak. The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency website, at last check, didn’t include any update on the status flu cases in the tri-county area.
Dorine Berriel-Cass the manager of infection control at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids says children should be practicing good hygiene, to protect themselves and others from getting the flu bug. She says that should include above all else, frequent hand washing. Schools can be a breeding ground for mass infections because the virus can survive on shared surfaces for days.
