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300 students sick in one Minnesota school as flu escalates

Tuesday, December 17, 2019
SHAKOPEE, Minnesota (WPVI) -- The flu continues to pick up steam here and across the nation, just in time for the holidays!

11 states and Puerto Rico now have high levels of flu activity.
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In Shakopee, Minnesota, one middle school had over 300 absences yesterday due to flu-like illnesses.

That's more than a quarter of the students!

"Yeah, we have half of our hockey team that was out of school today, because of strep throat and flu-like symptoms," says Kathy Young, mom to a middle-school student.

The dominant strain in Minnesota is the B type, which hits children and young adults harder.



Pennsylvania's new status report shows increasing flu activity in virtually every county, and with 3 strains circulating.
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They are 2 A-strains as well as B-type.

What's making people sick varies by location - in the Philadelphia area, it's split between A & B.

However, in the west, B is the overwhelming strain.

The state says 6 flu-related deaths have been reported so far.
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