New Brunswick students missed less school in November than they did during the same month in 2022, according to the latest data from the Department of Education.
Absenteeism dropped in both the anglophone and francophone sectors, across all districts and for all age groups, the data shows.
Students missed a combined total of about 180,000 days, or an average of 1.8 days for each of the province’s approximately 100,000 public school students.
That’s down from a combined average of roughly 2.5 days in November 2022, but still higher than the pre-pandemic average of 1.2 days in November 2019.
The data does not identify why a student was absent. “A student could be absent for many reasons, including dental and medical appointments, sickness or personal/family reasons,” said department spokesperson Charles Renshaw.
December absenteeism rates are not yet available.
Advice to parents
Last week, Dr. Yves Léger, the province’s acting chief medical officer of health, held a rare meeting with reporters because of the rise in respiratory illnesses, and warned about the high number of severe strep bacterial infections, which are “at least double” their usual rates, some of them fatal.
He also sent a memo home to parents and guardians, encouraging people to take steps to protect themselves, others, and the health-care system, including staying home when sick and masking.
“As you may be aware, this is the time of year when respiratory viruses such as influenza, RSV, COVID19, and others are spreading in New Brunswick and elsewhere. In addition to those viruses, we are seeing increased infections from the streptococcus bacteria (Group A Strep),” Léger wrote in the memo, obtained by CBC News.
“All these additional infections also add more strain to the health-care system. Fortunately, we know what we can do to reduce our risk of getting infected and passing on our infections to others.”
Public Health says people should stay home if they have a fever or a new or worsening cough, vomiting or diarrhea, or if they have two or more of the following symptoms: difficulty breathing, sore throat, runny nose/congestion, headache, new onset of fatigue or purple markings on the fingers and toes of children.
Public Health recommends people should stay home until they are feeling better, are fever-free for at least 24 hours without using fever-reducing medication, free of vomiting and diarrhea for at least 48 hours.
Masking “remains a personal choice,” said Léger. But “given the current situation, consider wearing a mask, particularly when indoors in a crowded public space,” he said.
“In addition, consider wearing a mask if you are recovering from an infection and you still have some symptoms but you’re returning to your usual activities.”
He also recommends staying up to date with vaccinations and frequent hand washing with soap and water, or alcohol-based sanitizer. “The more measures you take, the more you can reduce your risk of getting infected.”
The Department of Health is scheduled to release its latest COVID-19 and flu data this afternoon.
