Area influenza reports not as high as expected

    The number of influenza cases reported in Chase County for 2020 so far has not been as many as had been anticipated, said Kay Schmidt, infection prevention nurse at Chase County Community Hospital/Clinics (CCCH).
    Sue Peterson, CCCH lab services director, said the number of confirmed cases of influenza reported since the first of the year is five.
    The numbers don’t include people who haven’t come in after getting sick, said Schmidt.
    “There have been quite a few cases of GI bugs seen in both Imperial and Wauneta clinics,” she added, “but none were hospitalized.”
    Angie Paisley, school nurse at Chase County Schools (CCS), said they have hardly had any cases of influenza—less than 5%.
    Some students are getting sore throats and coughing, but not many absentees, Paisley said.
    “Mostly, we have students who are coming down with gastroenteritis. They are exhibiting the usual symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea,” she said.
    The students that see Paisley in the nurse’s office are sent home and told to rest and drink clear liquids to allow their GI tract to rest, she said.
    Usually 24 to 48 hours later they are back at school, Paisley said.
    “We’re generally pretty healthy up here,” she said.