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Flu epidemic forces Unity Christian School in Fulton to close

“I don’t think it will be the end of it. I think there will be other schools in the region that are having to do so,” says Wright.
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FULTON, Illinois-- Empty parking lot outside, dark windows inside, at Unity Christian School it's quiet for a Tuesday. That's because there are no students. The doors are locked and school is closed.

On Monday night the school put out a message on Facebook and on its website saying the school would be closed due to illness on Tuesday, January 23.

SCHOOL CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS
Unity Christian School will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018, due to illness. We had several students out last week due to illness, but after the weekend we were missing even more today. With over 18% of our population gone today, several teachers out, and a half day scheduled for tomorrow. I have decided to encourage everyone to stay home, rest, and recover. We will continue to thoroughly disinfect the school and prepare to resume on Wednesday.

More than 18-percent of students were out sick, so the principal encouraged everyone to stay home, rest and recover.

The closing is not surprising to local pharmacists.

"With what's going on this year, not really. Schools are hubs for spreading the flu and other illnesses. It's just the way that it is," says Wagner Pharmacy President Tim Wright.

Wright says they have been constantly restocking their supply of this flu fighting med called Tamiflu.

"It's just a brace for impact, and sure enough, you don't know when, but the patients start coming. We've been doing probably between 10 to 15 prescriptions of Tamiflu on a daily basis," says Wright.

They say taking a day to sanitize the school buildings will help slow this epidemic.

"It's kind of a wily illness that's difficult to contain when it comes to trying to sanitize an entire school. You probably can't achieve 100-percent, but you can put a dent in it," says Wright.

It's an epidemic with no signs of stopping.

"I don't think it will be the end of it. I think there will be other schools in the region that are having to do so," says Wright.

Classes will resume on Wednesday, January 24.

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