LINCOLN COUNTY – The chaos first began for Kelsey Brooks and her family on Jan. 31 when her oldest child awoke at midnight with a 102.5 fever. One by one over the next week, the family of four from Elsberry would fall ill to the flu, with varying symptoms of body aches and no appetite to coughing and vomiting.

“This by far has been the worst illness we have seen as a family ever,” Brooks said. “In the 14 years I have been with my husband, we have never been this sick together and my kids have never been this sick.”

Throughout Lincoln County, flu cases are sharply climbing. According to Mende Kemper, Lincoln County R-III district coordinator, the spike in sickness has been occurring since last November, primarily pneumonia but since a return from holiday break, cases of Covid-19, flu and strep throat have also risen.

Noting “attendance rates vary greatly from day to day,” Kemper says absenteeism has been somewhat higher since students have been sent home with fevers as well as nausea and vomiting.

“Most of our buildings’ attendance percentages have been in the upper 80% to low 90%, which is pretty typical for this time of year. We have had a few grade levels at different schools that have dipped into the 70% for just a day here and there,” she said.

In such situations of communicable illnesses like influenza, once parents alert school staff of a diagnosis, Kemper says the building nurse sends out a CDC parent handout through ParentSquare with general information regarding the illness.

This information is sent to families of students in the sick child’s classroom and those who may have otherwise been exposed to the illness.

County-wise, there have been a total of 895 cases (from 10/1/24-2/5/25) of the flu reported to the Lincoln County Health Department, a significant increase from a year ago, according to Sarah Valenza, the agency’s public information specialist. This time last year, the total number of flu cases was 508.

During the full flu season for 2024 (covering 10/1/23-9/30/24), there was a total of 1,520 influenza case counts in the county.

While Covid-19 numbers have been steady at the national level, the county cases according to Valenza have reached 717 so far (between 10/1/24-2/5/25).

“It appears that we may be seeing a flu season with two peaks,” she said. “It’s too early to say why that might be the case. It’s also too early to tell if we will have more total cases than last year, as flu season can peak earlier or later depending on the year.”

While no one in her family had to go to the hospital, Brooks says she is thankful it was not worse when the flu felt bad enough. Currently, Brooks and her family are mostly on the mend. Her eldest child was sick for six days and her husband for two, as one extreme example of their experience with the flu.

In addition, she says some family members are left with one lingering an annoying symptom — a “nasty” cough.

For best practice, Valenza says there are multiple ways that individuals can take to prepare for winter sickness season. She says it is not too late to get a flu or Covid vaccination and the health department offers them for the insured, the uninsured, and persons covered by Medicaid.

In October, the school district had a health fair in which flu and Covid vaccines were available for staff. On Mar. 6, there will be a vaccination clinic for students 11 and older with parental consent.

It is hosted by the district with the Lincoln County Health Department, and was scheduled before the uptick in illness. Besides vaccination, there are additional measures that can also be taken to reduce risk.

To help the lessen spread of sickness, Valenza suggests staying home when not feeling well.

“You should also practice good hygiene, such as washing your hands, covering coughs and sneezes, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces,” Valenza said. “Last, take steps to have cleaner air. This might include using an air purifier or opening a window when possible. Additional prevention strategies include testing, masking, and physical distancing.”