Although the school has remained open despite losing one third of their students, principal Anne Kitchin urged parents to keep their children at home until the extraordinary outbreak is over.

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Sydney:

Some 200 students fell ill following a flu outbreak at a school in Australia.

A team of specialist cleaning staff were sent to the Middle Park School in Queensland state on Friday to sanitise classrooms, reports Xinhua news agency.

Although the school has remained open despite losing one third of their students, principal Anne Kitchin urged parents to keep their children at home until the "extraordinary outbreak" is over.

Believed to influenza A and B, the Queensland education department said in a statement that the school is doing all they can to combat the outbreak and "will conduct additional hygienic cleaning of school premises over the coming days".