Nearly 600 students and staff members of a suburban school district were absent on Monday due to illness, prompting school officials to take extra measures in flu prevention.
Oak Park Elementary School District 97 reported the absence of about 10 percent of their students and staff citing an outbreak in cold and flu illnesses as the cause. The custodial staff was scheduled to deep clean the school Monday night in the hopes of preventing the illnesses from spreading the rest of the week.
None of the schools were closed due to the outbreak, but school officials said they would monitor the situation closely in the next few days.
In the meantime, school officials encouraged sick students to stay home until their fevers and other flu symptoms are gone for at least 24 hours before they return.
This year's flu season has been particularly brutal because the vaccines being administered aren't as effective due to a mutation in one of the strains.
