She said she was not able to specify what kinds of illness closed the school due to HIPPA laws but noted there has been a rise in both RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, and the flu.
Alexander said a lack of substitute teachers - an ongoing issue since students returned to school in fall 2020 - also contributed to the issue.
Mad River Local schools will all be closed on Tuesday, Election Day, for a staff work day.
Last week, Dr. Adam Mezoff, chief medical officer at Dayton Children’s Hospital, told the Dayton Daily News the hospital was almost full due to RSV cases. While doctors typically see more cases of RSV in January and February, they are seeing a current surge in cases.
The flu has also been particularly bad already this year. Montgomery County had 41 cases of flu that needed to be hospitalized between Oct. 23 and Oct. 29, the most of any county in the state.
Dan Suffoletto of Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County noted that individual flu cases are not required to be reported to the public health department and the school makes the decision to close or go remote, not public health departments.
“We have seen higher level of hospitalizations for the flu, for this time of year, but not necessarily in students,” he said.
Getting a flu shot can be a key way to prevent illness, he said.
“It is also important to stay home when you are sick to help reduce the spread of the flu,” Suffoletto said. “If you have symptoms that are similar to COVID-19 you should take a COVID-19 test to help determine the cause of your symptoms.”
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