The student population at Odle Middle School has slowly been dwindling since early last week as many are staying home with flu-like symptoms.

When the numbers reached 10 percent of the student population, the school reported the absentees to the King County Health Department. Because the symptoms vary, it can not be determined if influenza is solely to blame.

“Our school got hit by a mix of the neural virus and what appears to be a bad cold,” Sonja Rein explained, the nurse at Odle Middle School. “It’s hard to narrow it down to one virus. but either way, a lot of students are staying home to get better and prevent others from getting sick.”

Other Bellevue schools have been hit by a high number of absentees due to illness.

Influenza, unlike the common cold, has a swift onset of severe symptoms including fever, headache, muscle aches, extreme fatigue, runny nose and sore throat, and a cough. Children, the most efficient transmitters of virus and bacteria, account for the biggest share of flu cases.

According to the King County Health Department, influenza reports have increased in King County over the last several weeks.

“The health department explained that the flu virus hit late this year and for whatever reason is reaching its peak right now, but it should decline in the next two weeks,” Rein explained.

Bellevue Schools encourage parents and students to practice good hygiene and to stay home if the student shows signs of fever or other symptoms.

For more information on the influenza virus, visit www.kingcounty.gov/health/flu or call 206.296.4949.