Flu outbreak hits Amarillo hard

AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website on Friday, Feb. 1, the flu was considered to be widespread in the state of Texas.

The Amarillo Public Health Department also reported an increase in number of flu reports that were affecting the community.

On local child care facility, Tamme's Tender Touch Day Care, had to close its doors Thursday and Friday because more than half the students were out sick.

"We're definitely in the middle of flu season," said Casie Stoughton, the Director of Public Health in Amarillo. "Hopefully soon, we'll be seeing those numbers fall and we'll be on the tail end."

Stoughton said, in Amarillo, the numbers for flu season usually peak between February and March.

In a recent one-week monitoring period, Amarillo's Bi-City-County Health District recorded nearly 700 positive cases of the flu.

"That's what we're looking for, is that rising and that fall," said Stoughton. "We're always looking for the fall."

Doctor Tom Bayse of ER Now said he had been diagnosing the flu all day long.

"You pretty much recognize it just by walking in and looking at the patient. They just look like they feel miserable," said Bayse.

Bayse, along with the Health Department, has noticed a lot of patients with the Influenza A virus.

"High fevers, headaches, body aches, chills, upper respiratory infections, usually runny nose, cough, congestion, that sort of thing," said Bayse.

Brenda Hutson, the mother of a fifteen year old, said that was exactly how her son was feeling when he woke up Friday morning.

"You could tell right away it was pretty apparent that this is not your typical illness. We had the all the symptoms," said Hutson.

Hutson said her son could have caught this anywhere, but she knows the classroom can be a hot spot for germs.

"The schools have a lot of other kids that are out, and unfortunately, a lot of the kids come back to school before they probably should," said Hutson.

The average daily attendance of AISD students during the school year is around 94-95%. The district said attendance dropped to 90% this week.

Canyon ISD started the new year with an attendance rate of 96.6%, but it has dropped to 91.6%.

Stoughton is encouraging families with sick kids to keep them home.

"We want to make sure that that that people who are well are able to go to work and school, and the people who are are sick are able to stay home and recuperate," said Stoughton.