ORANGE, Texas — Little Cypress Christian Academy is closed for cleaning after several students were diagnosed with the flu.
Principal and founder Kelli Woods says about 12% of their 115 students have the flu. Students range from pre-k three to eighth grade. Woods says the school is being very proactive and over cautious.
"We are currently in the process of taking extra measures to sanitize our academy. Our number one priority is to keep our faculty, students and their families healthy," Woods said.
Christi Miranda has a fifth grade daughter at LCCA. She's not sick, but Miranda is glad the school is taking steps to keep it that way.
"I think it was a right decision I think it was wisdom to say let just do everything we have to do to contain it and get it stopped," Miranda said.
The school will return to class Wednesday morning. Miranda says she's comfortable sending her daughter back then.
"I think they've done due diligence I think they've aired on the side of caution and done the right thing for the kids, and for the teachers," Miranda said.
Dr. Ali Osman is the medical director of the emergency department at Baptist Hospital in Beaumont. He says flu cases have picked up recently.
"It's not as dangerous as previous years we had when we had certain strains of bad flu, but it has picked up recently, we've seen an uptick," Osman said.
He says this is a normal time for cases to spike, especially for flu B, and we all need to practice prevention.
"Practicing good hygiene, washing hands, staying at home if you are sick, not coming to work or school, seeing your doctor early on to make sure that you get the proper diagnosis and treatment," Osman said.
According to the most recent data from the CDC, flu cases are widespread across the us. They report that so far this season, 92 children have died of the flu.