Schools across the United States are closing due to spikes in influenza and other seasonal illnesses. As the 2024–2025 flu season rages on with no peak yet in sight, some school systems are overwhelmed with sick students and staff.
Schools and even entire school districts are temporarily closing in Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee and other states.
It's a measure reminiscent of the COVID lockdown era: schools shutting their doors — some pausing classes entirely, while others pivot to remote learning — due to surges in respiratory illness. However, this time, influenza is the main culprit, and the closures are short-lived, with most lasting only a few days.
Flu is a common, highly-contagious respiratory illness that can create a week's worth of miserable symptoms ranging from fever and chills to coughing and sore throat irritation to runny noses and body aches. It transmits easily from person to person.
Flu activity is high nationally and continues to increase across the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control FluView surveillance report for the week ending on Jan. 25, the most recent data available.
At least 41 states are currently reporting "very high" or "high" influenza-like illness activity, per the CDC. Flu-related ER visits and hospitalizations are also surging. Cases are soaring among children, and at least 47 pediatric flu deaths have been reported this season.
“What worries us the most are bacterial infections that can follow alongside influenza (and) get kids super, super sick. ... Flu itself and those complications can lead to death in children. ... Influenza is scary,” Dr. Jason Newland, the division chief of infectious diseases at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, tells TODAY.com.
At the same time, the U.S. is also seeing waves of norovirus, COVID-19 and RSV, which some are calling a “quad-demic.”
“The viral surge we’re seeing now is challenging,” Dr. Torey Mack, the chief medical officer of Children’s Hospital Association, which represents over 200 hospitals nationally, tells TODAY.com.
In addition to overcrowded emergency rooms and pediatricians' offices, school systems are feeling the impact.
Flu season 2024-2025
So far, there have been at least 20 million illnesses, 250,000 hospitalizations and 11,000 deaths from influenza this season, according to CDC estimates.
"We're having a very sustained, moderately severe flu season and seeing lots of hospitalizations. The numbers haven't gone down, so we're still in the middle of it," Dr. William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, tells TODAY.com.
In the U.S., flu activity tends to peak between December and February. However, this year’s flu season started much later than usual, ramping up in December and taking off after the holidays. According to many experts, the peak has yet to come, and elevated flu activity is expected to continue for weeks.
School closures due to flu
Schools are breeding grounds for germs. "Children in particular are great distributors of influenza viruses," says Schaffner. Most school facilities are enclosed settings, where there is plenty of close contact and frequent sharing of objects and surfaces, which makes it easy for flu viruses to spread.
Although the school closures may seem concerning, experts say it’s not surprising to see during an intense wave of illness.
“Closing schools for a period of time as a way of letting the outbreak pass is something local school boards sometimes have to resort to,” says Schaffner. “It won’t eliminate a growing outbreak, but it could very well slow it down.”
“Schools close also because the adults in the school system are affected and need to take time off, so they can’t run the school,” he adds. Many schools are taking the closures as an opportunity to deep-clean facilities.
The experts say these closures will likely not lead to full lockdowns, and are a short-lived measure.
"I would hope we would never shut schools down again, but if it's only for a couple days before this (virus) gets through everybody, that's probably OK," says Newland.
Here are some of the states where schools are closing.
Texas
Multiple school districts in Texas shut down last week due to surges in flu and other illnesses.
Godley Independent School District in Godley, Texas, closed after reporting a 30% drop in attendance across their campuses, NBC affiliate NBC5 DFW reported on Jan. 29.
The day before closing, at least 650 students and 60 staff members were out sick with the flu, Jeff Meador, chief communications officer for Godley ISD, told NBC5.
“Our custodians .... are all working at various campuses, doing deep cleaning and sanitizing,” Meador said.
Comanche Independent School District in Comanche, Texas, and Morgan Independent School District also closed last week.
"Right now in our area, flu rates are very, very high, and depending on the severity of symptoms, some of these kids have been out of school having fevers for four or five days," Dr. Preeti Sharma, pediatric pulmonologist at Children's Health in Dallas, Texas, tells TODAY.com.
Children's Health has seen a staggering 40% increase in flu cases from the week prior, and Sharma says she's also noticed a large volume of patients with severe symptoms. "For many, the symptoms have been more severe than in the past, and there are some reports of a higher rate of pneumonia with flu more recently," says Sharma.
"Flu positive specimens reported to public health continue to increase across all regions," a spokesperson with the Texas Department of State Health Services tells TODAY.com in a statement. "For pediatrics, we continue to see high influenza activity. For the 2024-2025 season, we currently have 4 confirmed influenza-associated pediatric fatalities."
Ohio
Multiple schools were forced to close this week in Ohio due to a wave of flu.
“Right now, if you come in here and you’re getting tested for influenza ... over 40% of the time, it’s going to be positive for flu, and that’s super high,” says Newland, who is based in Columbus.
“The kids all came back to school (after the holidays), and now that we’re about four weeks in the school year, they’ve all been mingling together and we see it transmit across everybody,” says Newland.
St. Hilary School in Fairlawn, Ohio, temporarily shut down after 20% of students and 15% of staff were out sick, NBC affiliate WKYC 3 Studios in Cleveland reported.
Coventry Local Schools in northeast Ohio also closed this week, citing a bus driver shortage due to increased seasonal illness.
Tennessee
Tennessee has some of the highest flu levels in the nation. It's overwhelming emergency rooms, as well as schools, says Schaffner, who works in Nashville.
At least three school districts in central Tennessee were closed the first week of February due to widespread illness, NBC affiliate WSMV-TV reported. These include Lebanon Special School District, Houston County Schools and Lincoln County Schools.
"Not only are the children getting sick, but the teachers, the administrators, the custodians and whoever is working in the school system gets ill," says Schaffner.
Georgia
Georgia is another flu hot spot in the southeast.
Polk School District in Georgia closed all schools and facilities last Friday and Monday due to a surge of flu and norovirus, which sickened 761 students, NBC affiliate WXIA-TV reported. The school district said the outbreaks also caused a shortage of staff and that the closures would allow for deep cleaning.
"Decisions about school closures or switching to online or virtual are made by the schools ... (and) typically based on the number of students, staff, and teachers who are out sick, and the quality of learning that can be achieved given those absences," Nancy Nydam, director of communications for the Georgia Department of Health, tells TODAY.com in a statement.
Virginia
Multiple schools in Virginia have closed in the last week, citing flu outbreaks and staffing shortages.
"Flu levels in Virginia are currently very high. ... Flu infections are particularly impacting children, with nearly 1 in 5 ED visits for children being for flu. In recent weeks, Virginia has reported many large flu outbreaks in schools, daycares, and in long-term care facilities," Dr. Laurie Forlano, state epidemiologist with the Virginia Department of Health, tells TODAY.com in a statement.
Oklahoma
Schools across Oklahoma are moving to virtual learning as flu cases soar among kids, local affiliate KFOR-TV reported.
"Influenza activity in Oklahoma is high and continues to increase, as our influenza-associated hospitalizations reach a historic high. In January, kids under the age of 18 made up just under 60% of our influenza sentinel laboratory testing percent positivity," a spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Department of Health tells TODAY.com in a statement.
Iowa
Schools in Sioux City, Iowa, and Polk County have closed down due to illness, including influenza, according to reports from local NBC affiliates.
“We are seeing a marked uptick in illness among students and staff in schools across Polk County,” said Juliann Van Liew, Director of the Iowa's Polk County Health Department in a mid-January statement. “It’s crucial that we work together as a community to reduce the spread of these illnesses and keep our kids and community healthy.”
Missouri
Multiple school districts in southeast and southwest Missouri have closed due to flu and other illnesses, local outlets have reported.
"Data does indicate higher (flu) activity ... with the highest rates among those in the 0-4 and 5-24 years. It is not unusual for there to be more than one cause of illness this time of year. However, the data suggests the increase in seasonal influenza A is a contributing factor," a spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services tells TODAY.com in a statement.
Additionally, schools have closed due to flu and flu-related absences in Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, and other states.
How to prevent and treat flu
It's not too late to get a flu shot, experts say. The CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older get a seasonal influenza vaccine.
The flu shot can offer continued protection against multiple strains, including flu A and flu B, for months. The U.S. flu season typically goes through the spring.
“It’s very possible that we’ll see a second peak of influenza B later in the season ... and getting a flu shot may still protect against the next wave,” says Sharma.
To prevent flu, stay home when sick, avoid contact with sick people, practice good hand hygiene, wear a mask in crowded, indoor spaces, and cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough. Anyone with a fever should stay home for at least 24 hours until they're fever-free without any medication, says Sharma.
In most cases, people will recover from flu on their own without treatment within about a week. Rest, hydration and over-the-counter fever or pain medication can help. Antiviral drugs, such as Tamiflu, can help treat or prevent illness and are especially important for high-risk groups, per the CDC.
If you have severe flu symptoms, you’re in a high-risk group, or you have concerns about your illness, always consult with a doctor. High-risk groups include people over 65, children under 2, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems or underlying health conditions.
If you or your child experiences difficulty breathing, signs of dehydration, a very high fever, or mental confusion, seek urgent medical attention, says Sharma.
“Anytime a parent is worried, we encourage them to reach out,” says Sharma.
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