With flu season hitting Chapin and the surrounding areas hard this school year, more students have been getting sick than expected. With infection rates rising, students are facing potential fears as they watch their peers go down with the illness.

“I have seen many students with the flu, and I’m taking extra precautions to avoid getting it, like washing my hands and not eating after other people,” said Justin Lawton, a senior at Chapin.

Some students do not seem to be taking this epidemic seriously. Many students continue to share food, avoid washing hands, and are oblivious to the many germs in the school.   

“I am not scared to get sick, and I almost never do,” said senior, Edgar Jackson.

This year, some students are unaware they are sick with the virus because the influenza symptoms do not appear until the person has already been infected.

“Many people start to feel bad and have respiratory issues, but they don’t develop the fever until later so you can’t always tell [if the person has the flu],” said Nurse Arnold, Chapin’s school nurse. “I have had a number of students that have come in with fever or respiratory symptoms- flu like symptoms. The number [of students with flu this year] is increasing, and last week was probably more prevalent than I have seen previously.”

Some tips to prevent the spread of the flu include washing your hands, covering your mouth when coughing, avoiding eating and drinking after others, and keeping your distance from those who are already infected.