ABU DHABI // Schools in the capital are "very unlikely" to close because of concerns over swine flu, a senior education official said yesterday. However, he warned parents and schools to behave more responsibly to avoid causing "panic that is uncalled for and a state of chaos".
Dr Amer al Kindi, the school health manager at Abu Dhabi Education Council, said that schools, and in turn, parents, needed to calm down and abide by the directions issued by the council and the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi on handling possible swine flu cases. "We are co-ordinating with the Health Authority to prevent H1N1 [the virus that causes swine flu] in schools in the Abu Dhabi emirate," said Dr al Kindi, referring to the action plan developed in conjunction with the HAAD to prepare schools and parents for preventing swine flu among students in the new school year.
"All schools have to attend the Adec mandatory training on influenza prevention." While training for school staff has been going on for some time, courses on swine flu began yesterday for private schools throughout the emirate and will end by Thursday. Two members of staff from each private school in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Gharbia are required to attend the three-hour course. "During the training, we give general information about H1N1 and how to identify and report a case of influenza-like symptoms and what the precautionary measures are that schools should take to prevent swine flu in their schools," explained Dr al Kindi.
Schools had not been correctly filling in the official notification form found on the Adec website that should be submitted once a pupil exhibits flu-like symptoms. The form can only be sent in to an official fax number or e-mail address - not as a personal note. "Schools have to notify the right authorities at Adec as soon as possible if they have students with flu symptoms," said Dr al Kindi. "What can I do with these incomplete forms? How can I register a case as a possible flu case if there are no symptoms?
"Schools are causing panic, and it is because they are not attending the mandatory training." He also stressed that "closing schools is very unlikely and doubtful at the current stage of the situation". Education officials, though, have previously said that closing schools was an option. The Adec said in a statement that if it orders a school closure, students may have to be taught online while they are out of classes.
A decision to close schools to contain the spread of swine flu would be made by the council, on the advice of the health authority. A council spokesman said that parents independently deciding not to send their children to school and schools postponing the start of the school year or suspending classes indefinitely "causes chaos and panic and has to stop". "People are still living their lives, and parents go out with their children to the malls, the souqs, the cinemas, and these are all places where kids can pick up swine flu easier than in a school," he said.
"People are not thinking clearly." The confusion can be curbed once schools' representatives attend the training and learn the correct procedure for dealing with suspected cases of swine flu, Dr al Kindi said. "I receive calls at 3am from parents who should not even have my number but got them out of panicked principals." A call centre for schools to report swine flu, available at 800-555, is expected to be launched today, he said.
Swine flu fact sheets in Arabic and English for schools are available on the health authority's website at www.haad.ae/swine-flu. Gareth Jones, director of the American International School in Abu Dhabi, said the Adec's directions were clear to most schools. "We have to report any cases where we have sent home children with flu-like symptoms," he said, "and then we have to inform them if that student tests positive for swine flu."
Mr Jones confirmed that a student at his school had contracted swine flu. The British School-Al Khubairat in the capital confirmed soon after that two students had tested positive for swine flu and said that a third was being tested. Yesterday, Dr George Robinson, superintendent of the American Community School in Abu Dhabi, said his school may also have had its first case of H1N1 this week. A Grade 1 boy had symptoms that were consistent with H1N1 and was prescribed Tamiflu. However, a definitive diagnosis had not been made.
"It's inevitable that we are going to have some students who come down with it," Dr Robinson said. "If parents don't feel comfortable sending their child to school, then it's their decision, but something parents need to think about is that this is a flu, like all other flus, that is going to take time to work through the system." Dr Jon Craig, a general practitioner at the American Hospital Dubai, also stressed that school closures would only delay an inevitable spread of the virus.
"If it is going to pass through the population, it will do so any time," he said. "Delaying schools will just delay a spread." hkhalaf@thenational.ae