The Flu Is So Widespread That at Least a Dozen States Are Being Forced to Close Schools

This flu season has been particularly bad this year due mostly to the H3N2 strain, which has "been associated with a high incidence of mortality, both in the elderly population and in the very young population," Dr. Peter Shearer from Mt. Sinai Hospital said on Good Morning America.

Schools across the nation are closing because so many teachers and students have gotten the flu, according to CBS News. There have been schools closing across the board in at least 12 states, in order to disinfect and give everyone a chance to recover. Saint Thomas Aquinas in Dallas was one of them because more than 10 percent of the student body had the flu. "Even if we miss anything, the kids will have a chance to go home, get healthy, and hopefully not bring that virus back to school," said Matthew Vereecke, the school's superintendent. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated at least 37 kids have died from flu-related causes so far. The flu season from 2017 to 2018 is currently listed as "moderately severe," according to the CDC, but it warns it could get worse.