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HANNIBAL, MO. -- 'Tis the season for sickness, and all through your work, noses are blowing from germs where they lurk.

These days there are fewer students in classrooms such as this one at Hannibal High School. On average, attendance would be in the low to mid 90 percent range. But that number dropped to 88 percent on Wednesday.

Susan Johnson , Hannibal School Assistant Superintendent said, "Just in the last couple of days, we're starting to see a lot of our students falling ill and a lot of our teachers are staying home, whether it's for themselves or for their children. They all mainly have with upper respiratory illnesses and stomach flu."

It's the same story at Hannibal Regional Medical Group. Dr. Adam Samaritoni is seeing more patients with upper respiratory infections like a cold, with folks complaining of nasal congestion, runny nose and a cough. Antibiotics won't treat or cure viruses, so they have to run their course. But Dr. Samaritoni says you can't underestimate the power of the old H2O.

Dr. Samaritoni said, "I can't overemphasize the importance of fluids. We've heard it for years but your body needs fluids primarily water to get better."

Dr. Samaritoni says colds are mostly spread through touching contaminated items like table tops and toys, while the flu virus spreads mostly through droplets in the air...from uncovered sneezes and coughs. That's why good hand washing and hygiene is so important to prevent illness in the first place.

With illness on the rise, prevention is the focus at grade schools like Stowell Elementary. Janitors have boosted preventative cleaning while good hygiene habits like sanitizing and coughing into the arm are being emphasized in the classroom. School officials also ask parents to keep kids home if they are sick...to keep it from spreading to others.

For parents who work, it's not possible to take off for every sniffle and sneeze.

KHQA's Melissa Shriver will show you when to keep kids at home and when it's okay to send them to school or daycare on Parenting tips coming up this Sunday night at ten.