A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research team is scheduled to arrive in Yancey County this week to investigate a recent flu outbreak that closed schools and some churches.

Lynda Kinnane, supervisor of the Yancey County Health Department, said the four-person research team would help local and regional officials research how the flu spread from person to person and whether the decision to close the school system last Wednesday was effective. < = =text/> OAS_AD('ArticleFlex_1');

“We’ve never had anything like this happen here before,” Kinnane said. “We welcome them coming.”

Officials are also set to decide today whether the county’s nine-school system should reopen Wednesday as originally planned, Kinnane, Yancey County Manager Michele Lawhern and Yancey County Schools Superintendent Barbara Tipton said.

Officials decided to close the 2,575-student school system last week after about 250 children and up to 45 teachers became ill with a widespread flulike illness, causing mass absenteeism.

Debbie Crane, a spokeswoman with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said last Thursday that preliminary tests showed that the county has at least two cases of the flu, the first confirmed influenza cases in the state this flu season.

Local health officials gave a total of 1,200 flu shots in the last week, Kinnane said, adding that the health department may organize another flu shot clinic for the weekend. Flu shots are also available during regular operating hours at the county health department.

It generally takes about two weeks for flu shots to be effective.

Tipton said the school system offered flu shots yesterday. Flu shots will be offered to current and retired school employees again from 1 to 7 p.m. Monday.

While officials have recently encouraged residents to avoid gathering places, Lawhern said that all polling places are equipped with hand sanitizers and disinfectant spray for today’s election.

“We are encouraging folks certainly to still get out to vote,” she said.