Published: June 30, 2009 11:05 am      

Flu shuts down church services

By Justin Lofton

Staff Writer



Ada’s Central Church of Christ cancelled services on Sunday, June 28 on the advice of a physician due to many members of the church’s youth group having flu-like symptoms, minister Bud Ross said. Southwest Church of Christ has also reported many of its members exhibiting flu-like symptoms, minister Floyd Kaiser said.

“We dismissed church on the advice of a medical doctor,” Ross said. “We had a teenager that went to church camp the week of June 15-19 and he came back, didn’t have any symptoms, was in church Sunday morning, June 21, then he gets flu-like symptoms.” The teenager, who had gone to Pettijohn Springs Christian Camp in Madill, Ross said, was diagnosed with influenza A.

“Meantime, he had been at church Sunday. A bunch of other teenagers who had sat by him went to another camp on the campus of Oklahoma Christian the week of June 21 and on June 24, they began getting sick,” Ross said. “At least four of them have flu-like symptoms.”

While there have been rumors that the flu was H1N1, the only common denominator of the two by press time was that both H1N1 and influenza A cause flu-like symptoms.

“Nobody has been diagnosed with H1N1, yet,” Ross said. “We had one diagnosed with influenza A and the cultures were sent off (to determine if it was H1N1).”

Two adults at the church also exhibited flu-like symptoms.

“Based on that we dismissed services on June 28,” Ross said. Services may resume on Wednesday, July 1, but it is uncertain, he said.

Southwest Church of Christ, as of now, is holding services as usual.

“We have quite a few people here sick,” Kaiser said. “As far as I know, we’re going to continue services. All in all, I think things will continue here. I don’t foresee us having to cancel anything.”