Dubai, August 17: The UAE will consider closing down schools if H1N1 influenza infection becomes widespread after they begin reopening later this month, according to the Ministry of Health.
The ministry, in a statement, said the decision was part of a unified Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) plan to tackle the spread of infection as millions of students start returning to the region’s schools after spending their summer vacation in different parts of the world.
The closure of the schools will be determined based on the guidelines and criteria laid out by the World Health Organisation, said the ministry’s Director-General, Dr Ali Ahmed bin Shakar, who attended Saturday’s meeting of the Executive Board of the GCC Health Ministers’ Council in Kuwait where the uniform plan was unanimously adopted.
On his return to the UAE, Dr Shakar, who also heads the country’s Technical Committee for Combating Swine Flu, said closure of schools would depend on the severity of the situation.
Parents have been urged to immediately notify authorities if their children show flu symptoms. As per the preventive plan, parents will be asked to stop sending their children to school at least for a day if they develop any symptoms and immediately seek medical help if the symptoms persist.
However, the number of sick leave days recommended for children with either suspected or confirmed infection has not yet been announced.
Teachers, students, parents and other school staff will be trained to improve the preventive measures in place and to deal with any suspected or confirmed cases.
Dr. Shakar said a joint team of the ministries of health and education will conduct the training programmes, which will target school nurses and doctors.
He said more care would be ensured for students suffering from health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease in coordination with schools and families. Patients suffering from such conditions are found to be more vulnerable to H1N1 infection.
Schools will be asked to give awareness classes to children to encourage them to properly use tissues while coughing or sneezing and to wash their hands regularly with soap and water to avoid the spread of infection.
More details on the criteria for closing down the schools, the number of sick leave days to be allotted, are expected to be announced after a high level meeting of the ministries of the health and education scheduled to be held in two days.
Most schools will resume the academic year by the end of August and have devised their own preventive plans to combat the flu in the absence of official directives from the ministry on a unified course of action.
However, the Minister of Education will hold a meeting with other ministries this week to decide on action for all schools in the UAE.
Clive Pierrepont, director of communications and marketing of Taaleem, the UAE’s secondlargest education provider, said the group had not yet received directives from the ministry that need to be implemented by schools.
The Greenfield Community Schools in Dubai has devised an influenza policy that is posted on the schools’ website and has been sent to parents. The policy states that the school will remain open in all but the most extreme circumstances.
The school has developed a flu team comprising the principal, nurse and senior leadership that will monitor the safety and security on school premises. “The Pandemic Flu Team will decide if the school should close temporarily where there is an outbreak of the influenza in one or more students or teachers, and in relation to any edicts from the local authorities,” states the policy.
The school will also restrict travel or school excursions to regions affected by flu outbreaks and practise social distancing if the influenza is severe.
The United International Private School in Dubai will screen students and the teaching staff for a week after they re-open as part of their awareness programme. The school medical team will check for flu symptoms in students before allowing them to attend classes.
Nikhat Rahman, principal of the Oxford School in Dubai, said there is a plan in order which will be implemented accordingly.
“GEMS has not been formally advised by the authorities that its students will be vaccinated on their return to school,” said Richard Forbes, director of communications. The group has also sent out circulars to parents on flu precautionary measures.
–Agencies