Number of sick kids at Cañon City school climbs to 105

Whether it’s swine flu or something else, a nasty bug is continuing to take its toll on students at Cañon City Middle School.

On Thursday, 75 students were out with flu-like symptoms. By Friday, the number had climbed to 105 — 20 percent of the student body.

Immunologists from the Fremont County Health Department took samples from five Cañon City Middle School students Thursday to determine if the students have H1N1 influenza, better known as swine flu. But test results are not expected till Tuesday, Cañon City school district superintendent Robin Gooldy said.

There have been reports of a handful of cases at a few school districts in the Colorado Springs area, but nothing to the extent of what Cañon City Middle School is experiencing.

Kandi Buckland, El Paso County’s public health director, said in a news release this week that it’s likely more cases will show up in the Pikes Peak area as fall approaches.

Canon City middle school students went home Friday with fliers that describe ways to prevent the spread of the virus, Gooldy said.

Gooldy is optimistic that the long Labor Day weekend will help mitigate the spread of the virus.
An H1N1 vaccine is expected to be available by late October.
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