Swine Flu: Toll Swells to 28, Fresh Guidelines for Schools

Bina Gonsalves (36) died of swine flu at Pune’s Sassoon hospital late on Sunday night, her death takes the H1N1 Influenza toll in the country to 28, with Pune alone accounting for 16 swine flu fatalities.

152 fresh cases have been reported from various parts of the country, taking the total number of positive cases to 1,707.

Apart from Pune, five swine flu fatalities have been reported from the silicon city of Bangalore followed by two in the commercial capital of Mumbai and one each in Ahmedabad, Chennai, Nashik, Thiruvananthapuram and Vadodara.

With the city emerging as the epicenter of the pandemic in the country, schools in Pune will now remain closed for another week and are now scheduled to resume classes on Monday next.

Issuing fresh guidelines to contain the spread of the dreaded influenza, the Health Ministry has advised schools to refrain from holding morning assembly and asked teachers to check students for any visible symptoms of the flu.

The three-page advisory, further asked school authorities to refrain from insisting on production of medical certificates from absentee students, teachers and other staff, who had developed flu-like symptoms.

“Schools are advised to avoid any large gathering of students during the course of the day in the school. This would reduce the possibility of the spread of the infection, if any, to a much larger number of students who would be in close contact with each other in such a gathering,” said the document.

Earlier in the day, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, speaking to journalists, said that morning assemblies could become a source for spread of the virus and should be dispensed with.

“It is also being made mandatory for each teacher to go from seat to seat in the class to check for symptoms of flu, identify the student and immediately sent him or her back with the advice that they should stay at home for a week,” he said.

The guidelines left it to the schools to exercise discretion for any type of temporary closure in the event of wide spread of swine flu in the institution.

The guideline said it would be easier for schools to detect if any student has flu symptoms.

According to the guidelines, any student detected with flu symptoms should be immediately referred to the school medical facility and advise them to stay at home for seven days and observe strict discipline of home isolation.

“The onus of observance of discipline of isolation henceforth is shifted to the parents and school authorities should accordingly write a letter to the parents,” it said.

If students, teachers and other employees develop flu-like symptoms, they should be advised to stay at home and consult a doctor.

Meanwhile, Anandi Patel (37) has been confirmed as the third victim of swine flu in Gujarat, though, Patel died on August 13, the reasons behind her death could only be ascertained only on Monday.

Patel, a resident of Vastral locality in Ahmedabad, was last week admitted to a private hospital in Maninagar where she breathed her last on August 13.

Her samples for the swine flu test were dispatched soon after she was admitted to the Maninagar facility, but the reports showing her as a positive case of swine flu on August 16 – three days after her death.

The Gujarat government now plans to initiate action against the private hospital for not reporting the death, to the appropriate authorities, on time.