A routine cleaning process and review has caused the Lincoln County School District to offer health cautions to diminish an outbreak of students with flu or other illness.

The District noticed several students with fever were absent from Sam Case Elementary School in Newport and at Eddyville, officials said. There were also a few vomiting /diarrhea symptoms. As required, the District nurses notified the Lincoln County Health Department, which deemed it to be an outbreak.

Once an outbreak occurs, the Health Department requires school districts to implement specific precautions to track and diminish the spread of illness.

School nurses have been monitoring signs and symptoms of illness in each school for the past few weeks. LCSD does this every year during cold and flu season to allow it to track signs and symptoms, look for trends and diminish the spread of illness.

Nationally, the incidence of influenza-like illness and the flu have been on the rise. As of Friday, the state of Oregon, like much of the nation, has a high incidence of documented flu cases.

Over a week ago, in each school, the district implemented increased cleaning of high traffic areas in addition to the cleaning that usually occurs.

It also required students/staff with fever, vomiting, diarrhea to remain home for 48 hours once symptoms were gone. At the same time, it began having adults serve the students at the “self-serve” offering bar during lunch to kindergarten to sixth-grade students.

LCSD nurses will continue to work with the Health Department and the schools to limit the spread of illness.

The District said you can help by:

1. Keeping your student home if they are experiencing vomiting and/or diarrhea and staying home for 48 hours after the last episode.

2. Keeping your student home if they have a fever of 100 degrees or higher and a cough or sore throat. Stay home until the fever has been gone for 48 hours, without using fever-reducing medicines.