High rates of flu at Spokane elementary schools

SPOKANE — The Spokane Regional Health District says the flu rate in Spokane schools is as high as it’s been in more than five years.

Spokesman Kevin Morrison told The Spokesman-Review that there’s been a dramatic increase.

In the past three weeks, 10 elementary schools have reported more than 10 percent of the enrollment sick with the flu. One school, Linwood Elementary, had 23 percent.

When a school hits the 10 percent mark, an extra cleaning crew is called in to sanitize surfaces.