Midstate Schools Hope Snow Days Stymied Flu's Spread

NASHVILLE, TN -- Cabin fever may have run rampant as a snow day stretched into a snow week for Middle Tennessee students, but the long time away from the classroom could have a useful consequence: squelching the spread of the flu.

“With that break last week, we’re hoping with that cold snap that kind of helped us out a bit and gave the kids time to recover and rest and got them back health this week,”Dr. Nicole Boyle, director of Student Health Services for Metro Schools, told Fox 17.

Nevertheless, MNPS instructed principals to encourage extra handwashing for students as they returned to class Monday and the district also assigned extra custodians to schools to help keep things clean.

Tennessee and 48 other states - Hawaii, isolated and tropical, is the exception - have widespread flu activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's weekly update.

County health departments statewide continue to offer free flu shots. Find locations and hours here.

Image via Patch