Peru school superintendent dismisses flu rumors

Tissues and cough syrup are in high demand as the flu seems to pass from one person to the next. State health officials say the flu is already considered widespread but that doesn’t mean six out of 10 students at Peru Public Schools are home sick.

School Superintendent Mark Cross says the rumor that 60 percent of the school was out due to the flu is untrue. Cross says last week one of their schools had 13 percent of students home sick, but emphasizes that 87 percent of the students were in class.

Cross says normally attendance is more than 95 percent and anything below 90 percent is a concern.

Cross posted the statement on the district’s Facebook account Friday and encouraged parents to share his message to, in his words, “stop the silliness”.

Flu season revs up for early start in Illinois

CHICAGO (AP) – Seasonal flu is making an earlier appearance in Illinois this year.

Figures released Friday by the Illinois Department of Public Health show more people getting sick, more positive lab tests and more people hospitalized compared to this time last year.

The story is similar throughout Illinois. A suburban Chicago high school closed briefly last week because a quarter of the students were absent with flu-like illnesses.

So far this season, 115 people have been admitted to Illinois hospital intensive care units with influenza, according to the state health department flu data.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Illinois is one of 14 states where the flu is already widespread and it’s one of six states where doctor’s offices are seeing influenza-like illness at rates much higher than average.