Schools set for shutdown over swine flu

Published on Monday 17 August 2009 22:57

PARENTS were yesterday warned that schools could be closed in the coming months if swine flu leads to serious staff shortages.

Scottish schools are now returning after the summer break as planned, with cases of the H1N1 virus falling in the last month.

But in a letter to parents, the Scottish Government raised the prospect of local authorities having to close schools or nurseries due to staff shortages caused by flu or for other health-related reasons.

It comes as schools and nurseries were issued with information to teach better hand hygiene to pupils in efforts to reduce the spread of swine flu.

In a letter to parents, health secretary Nicola Sturgeon and education secretary Fiona Hyslop said they wanted to reassure families about the situation with the H1N1 virus as schools return after the summer break.

"Although there have been new cases of flu in Scotland over the summer holiday period, the welcome news is that the numbers have been fewer than originally predicted," they wrote.

"We will of course continue to monitor the situation and the way the pandemic develops.

In its advice to parents, Learning and Teaching Scotland's website said closures were "more likely to arise because levels of illness among staff".

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said there was currently no need to close schools due to the low levels of H1N1 currently being detected.

"However, should we find ourselves in any public health situation that suggests closing schools in particular areas would be beneficial, then that would be considered."

A spokesman for teaching union EIS said: "All decisions on whether any school should remain open or close temporarily if the virus is detected must be made on health and safety grounds.

"Local authorities must ensure that they follow the best advice of NHS experts when deciding how to respond.

"There remains a concern over how schools can operate effectively in circumstances where teaching staff are directly affected by H1N1 or where there is pressure on staff who might have caring responsibilities for their own children or vulnerable relatives."

The Scottish Government's "National Hand Hygiene Campaign" pack, launched in 2007, has been updated and sent to primary schools and nurseries.

As well as stressing the importance of washing hands, it now includes messages to encourage children to catch coughs and sneezes in a tissue.

Experts expect that cases of swine flu – which have fallen in the last three weeks in Scotland – could rise again as children return to school, where closed environments may allow it to spread more easily.

Yesterday, during a visit to Eastfield Primary School in Cumbernauld, the ministers saw how hand hygiene was being taught to youngsters.

"Schools have reopened as planned and people should remember that the vast majority of those who contract H1N1 will experience relatively mild symptoms and make a full recovery," Ms Sturgeon said.

"However, the spread of H1N1 in Scotland has made good hand hygiene even more important."

An EIS spokesman said: "It is also vital that resources are put in place to ensure that school equipment and fixtures and fittings are cleaned frequently."