VALDOSTA, Ga. (WTXL) - The flu is still affecting many students in South Georgia.
A school nurse in Valdosta says there has been a large increase in students with flu like symptoms. Nurses across the system are sending home roughly four to eight students a day.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, flu viruses are most common during the fall and winter and the flu often appears most between December and February.
However, they say that the flu can also run rampant all the way until May.
Judging by the weekly influenza summary map CDC released last week, most of the U.S. has a long way to go in beating the flu.
So if your kids are sick, what do you do?
School administrators urge parents to keep kids home if they are not feeling well.
"A student has to be fever free for 24 hours before they can return to school and that is without a fever reducer," said Jennee Brandon, who is a school nurse at W.G. Nunn Elementary School.
They say teachers are also wiping down desks regularly and making sure students are washing their hands.
And if your child is very sick or you are worried about their illness, contact your health care provider (doctor, physician assistant, etc.). CDC recommends that people at high risk for complications should get antiviral treatment as soon as possible, because the benefit is greatest if treatment is started within 2 days after getting sick.
You can find the CDC's weekly U.S. maps showing flu updates here.
