Monday, East Tennessee students will wrap up their winter breaks and head back to the classroom. It’s taking place during one of the biggest flu epidemics the state has seen in years.

Doctors say someone diagnosed with the flu is able to infect others for up to seven days. Symptoms like a fever, cough, stuffy nose, and even a sore throat are just some things you should be looking out for.

Patients are told to assume they are contagious until their symptoms are essentially gone. The fever is one thing that people tend to mark that by.

Alcoa City Schools along with Athens City School closed down several weeks ago because of a large number of students with the flu or flulike symptoms. We reached out to Director of Schools Brian Bell to see what the schools did to prevent the flu from spreading.

Regardless, health experts say if your child is experiencing any symptoms, you need to keep them at home.

“Be aware of the needs of other people,” said Darci Hodge, director of infection control at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. “Your child may have the flu and may not act all that sick. But they can affect another child or their teacher. It can cause them to be very sick and very harmful to someone else.”

Health officials said the number of flu cases in December is extremely high, but it is actually expected to hit its peak this month. It is recommended that students take extra precautions when returning to school.

“If they can provide hand hygiene products for their child to take for the classroom, that’s essential,” said Hodge. “Teach your child to use that. Also, making sure the children aren’t drinking after each other or eating after each other is really important.”