Half of Student Body in Virginia School Out with Flu-Like-Symptoms

Earlier this week, half of a school in Virginia’s student body was absent from school with flu-like-symptoms as the cause. Sandra Osborn, chief communications officer for Stafford County Public Schools, made a statement saying that “Approximately 1,000 students were absent Friday from Stafford High School in Fredericksburg, Virginia, with many reporting flu-like and gastrointestinal symptoms.”

According to CNBC, the school’s student body is made up of 2,100 students, and again, around half of them were absent. The school did reopen on Monday, as conditions were “reassessed.” The school district announced that a deep cleaning and disinfecting of the school was done over the weekend, but on Monday, around 670 students were still reported absent. The school district as well as the Virginia Department of Health and the Rappahannock Area Health Department, conducted an investigation as to what could potentially be causing the “sick symptoms,” and found “a number of students who tested positive for influenza.”