Sixty pupils come down with flu-like virus at Somerset primary school
An investigation has been launched after an outbreak of a flu-like virus among 60 pupils at a primary school in Somerset.
A third of students at Backwell Junior School in Somerset were said to have been affected by the bug, according to Public Health England (PHE).
Investigators are now conducting tests to confirm if the illness affecting the children is flu.
Parent Jenny Holmes, whose son Flynn has been affected, told the BBC the school has been "really proactive about telling us about it and keeping us all informed".
"Loads and loads of the kids are off school with a combination of with flu and colds,” Ms Holmes said.
"My WhatsApp groups are full of people telling me their children are off sick.
"There has been a few times when vomiting bugs have gone round, but never this many have gone down in one go."
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Public Health England said in a statement: "North Somerset Council and NHS partners are working with Backwell Junior School in north Somerset following around 60 reported cases of influenza-like-illness in pupils at the school.
"Parents, carers and staff at the school have been reminded by Public Health England about the importance of good respiratory and hand hygiene, the protection offered by the seasonal flu vaccine for those at higher risk of flu, and the need to keep children off school who have symptoms."
Yahoo News has contacted Backwell Junior School for comment.
