PUPILS have joined nurses as the latest group to fall victim to a flu bug sweeping the county.

Schools across North Yorkshire are reporting a higher than average level of absenteeism through flu-type illnesses.

And at Alne Primary School, near Easingwold, 30 of its 100 pupils are laid up with the bug.

The news follows a story in yesterday's Evening Press which reported that operations at York District Hospital were under threat because up to 50 nurses were off sick with a flu-like illness.

Ian Bretherton, head teacher of Alne School, said almost one in three of his pupils were off sick at the moment with the virus, although no staff were affected. "You could say the school is very quiet at the moment," he said. "It's a problem affecting the whole area."

Easingwold School head Peter Fletcher, currently nursing a bad cold, admits cases of flu are higher than normal. He has six of his 77 staff off at the moment, forcing him to buy in supply teachers.

He said more and more pupils were going home sick with flu-like symptoms by the day.

And, he said, he expected many more pupils to be ill during half-term as the bug continued to spread to youngsters in the area.

At the Forest of Galtres school at Shipton by Beningbrough, two staff were off sick, together with a handful of pupils.

Dr David Squire, head teacher of Selby High, said up to 10 pupils a day were being sent home with flu-like symptoms.

Ryedale pupils are also falling victims to flu.

Malton County Primary is reporting more absenteeism than normal for the time of year and has two staff members off sick and two suffering flu symptoms.

At Rillington primary school, eight pupils out of a reception class of 24 have been off this week.

And the school secretary at Pickering junior school, Linda Grey, said they had noticed that more children had been off recently.

"The other day we had seven pupils out of a class of 31 off. That doesn't sound like a lot, but seven children missing is quite a large chunk."

However, many schools report to being over the worst.

Tadcaster Grammar had 200 of its 1,300 pupils off sick last Friday, although most had returned.

And Easingwold County Primary had about 10 of its 270 pupils absent a couple of weeks ago.

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