KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As of Monday, six elementary schools in the Shawnee Mission School District have returned to masking.
The district says the move came due to both policy and a high percentage of absences.
Dr. Angela Myers, the division director for Infectious Diseases at Children’s Mercy, spoke on how she feels the move will influence parents as well as other districts.
"I wouldn’t view it as a setback," Myers said. "I’m sure some probably do, but I view it as the school being nimble. 'Hey, we’ve got some absences, and we really want everybody to be at school and learn because we’ve lost so much in the last couple of years.'"
Myers says those absences are very likely something other than COVID-19 as the hospital has seen a significant drop with next to zero cases locally.
But like all germs, she says in general, multiple viruses are circulating this spring including Rhinovirus, Para-influenza, strep throat and Norovirus, or the stomach flu.
“It’s not surprising people are seeing outbreaks. It spreads incredibly easy,” she said.
But Myers says the biggest threat right now is influenza.
“A sudden onset of fever, body aches, chills, runny nose, cough [and] congestion,” she said.
The hospital system saw nearly 220 cases last week and is reminding people that a cough can last for several weeks.
She says the best way to prevent young kids from passing it back and forth is to “keep that (mask) policy in place.”
Children’s Mercy doctors say parents should get relief from spring sickness at the end of April near the beginning of May.
“My hope is people remember this come September, October. [The] flu is still out there, let’s get our flu vaccine,” Myers said.
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