Although there is no official count of school closings for flu-related concerns, The 74 has tallied at least 11 districts and nine scattered individual schools across 12 states that have closed for a full day or longer because of excessive absences and concerns about the virus. Thirty children have died, and the governor of Alabama has declared a state of emergency due to the flu.

The Russellville School District in Arkansas closed all 10 of its schools Friday after seeing 17 to 20 percent of students absent each day since returning from the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, a “dramatic uptick” from the usual absentee rate of 5 to 7 percent.

Ashley Snellenberger, the district’s communication coordinator, told The 74. In addition to preventing the spread of germs, the closure will also allow the custodial staff to thoroughly clean the building and give sick students time to recover over the extended weekend.

The vaccine is less effective than usual because the flu is largely being caused by a virus called H3N2, which is harder to prevent with vaccines and causes a more severe illness. Despite the decreased effectiveness, doctors still recommend that people get vaccinated, even this late in the season, as the shot can still prevent the illness or decrease its severity.

Read the full article on the flu epidemic by Laura Fay at The 74