LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - As flu cases increase in the commonwealth, parents are faced with the choice of keeping kids home or sending them to school.

"I mean, if you're trying to learn achy and suffering a fever and you're trying to be in a classroom, it's just highly unlikely that it's going to be an efficient day at school," said Dr. Katrina Hood, a pediatrician with Pediatric and Adolescent Associates in Lexington.

Dr. Hood recommended that parents pay attention to how their child is acting during this heightened time of sickness.

"Many of these kids will say their head hurts and the younger ones, who aren't of speaking age they're just very cranky. So your little ones can't really talk to you and tell you things, I think they're suffering headaches and just not feeling well," Dr. Hood said.

Cassie Prather is the Woodford County Public Health Director and a mom of five who said her children noticed kids missing from their classes.

She added even one of her own children is under the weather this week.

"We took our kid, our youngest child, to the doctor on Monday because he had a horrible cough no fever tested negative for everything but is still not really feeling well, just very lethargic still so he's been home all week," Prather said.