Schools told to send kids home if showing swine flu symptoms

The District Inspector of Schools (DIoS), Lucknow has told schools to ensure children with symptoms of swine flu are given one week leave without creating any problem.

The schools were also told not to hold morning assembly. Everyday, before the start of the class, teachers should check the students thoroughly and if the students were found with symptoms of swine flu, they should be sent home, said the DIoS order .

DIoS Mukesh Kumar Singh’s order said on Saturday that a teacher should be made a nodal officer who should regularly update his office via Whatsapp about the status of the students. He said the chief medical officer would hold an event apprising the nodal teachers regarding swine flu menace on August 21.

A number of schools in Lucknow and Kanpur suspended morning assembly from August 16. The health department also urged school principals and teachers to take preventive measures to prevent swine flu.

The schools were also told to talk to a sick child’s parents and ask them to keep him in isolation and get him examined. Teachers were told to talk about symptoms of influenza and swine flu with students in classrooms for half an hour. To check the spread of the disease, the government has formed district-level rapid response teams that comprise a public health specialist, a physician, an epidemiologist, a pathologist and lab technician. The ministry of health and family welfare has issued guidelines on categorisation of seasonal influenza cases during screening for home isolation, testing, treatment and hospitalisation.