Mariposa students hit hard by flu bug

MARIPOSA — A flu outbreak in Mariposa County resulted in almost 200 students being absent from school Wednesday.

Dr. Charles Mosher, public health officer for Mariposa County, said a letter has been sent to parents asking them to keep students home if a child is sick with flu symptoms.

"We thought about closing the high school early on, but decided it was better to have the students at school," Mosher said.

Randy Panietz, superintendent of Mariposa County Unified School District, said 137 students at Mariposa County High School were absent Wednesday. An additional 50 students from Mariposa Middle School were absent. The high school has an enrollment of about 650 students, and the middle school has about 270 seventh- and eighth-graders on a normal day.

"We seem to have leveled out at about 140 students absent at the high school," Panietz said.

All of the Mariposa schools are being monitored, Panietz said, adding that the elementary schools in Mariposa seem to have dodged the flu bug.

Panietz said one of the reasons the middle and high schools have been hit hard may be because of athletics programs.

"We are making sure that students are keeping contact to a minimum during sports practices," Panietz said, but added that no games have been canceled.

This story was originally published October 8, 2009 at 9:56 PM with the headline "Mariposa students hit hard by flu bug."