The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has set up a monitoring mechanism to monitor the N1H1 virus in our province’s schools.
The mechanism requires principals to report the number of suspected cases of the virus at their schools to circuit team managers. Principals must also report the level of learner absenteeism
Each district director is responsible for collating the data and for sending it to Dr Matthi Theron, Director of Specialised Education Support Services at the WCED.
Today, we are urging our principals to take this mechanism seriously. By monitoring our schools, we are now able to see which areas or districts have been affected by the virus, and where it is spreading. A total of 190 schools in our province have reported suspected cases of N1HI by Friday, 7 August. The most affected districts are the central, north and east education districts.
We must note that these figures reflect suspected cases, and are not necessarily medically confirmed. The early figures show an average learner absenteeism rate of between 20 to 25 percent. The normal absenteeism rate at this time of the year is about 20 percent, reflecting the peak of the annual flu season. This suggests that the average absentee rate is not that unusual, although some schools have reported rates that are a lot higher than in previous years.
Our primary focus now is on preventing the spread of infection, by providing guidelines on personal hygiene, by encouraging parents to keep their children at home if they have any form of flu, and by providing advice on home based care.
We appreciate the way in which many principals have taken the initiative to apply health guidelines. If we work together and stick to the basic guidelines provided by the Health Department, we will succeed in limiting the spread of this infection. The WCED will continue to distribute information on the virus to all our schools in the province. The information, provided by the Department of Health, explains, for example, how to limit infection and how parents should treat ill children.
Schools also have an important role to play in distributing this information, to parents, teachers and learners. We have to look at novel ways of getting the message across. For example, we have suggested to schools that learners produce assignments in every grade on H1N1, so they can learn what the virus is all about and how to limit infection.
The WCED has made no decision to close schools. If necessary, this move will be a joint decision between the Department of Education and the Department of Health. We are aware of the large absentee rates at some schools and are not unsympathetic to schools that have been hit hard with flu. We are monitoring those schools and will make any decisions on closure on a case-by-case basis. This could include, for example, temporary closure of a specific class or boarding dormitory rather than the whole school, if necessary.
In cases where the H1N1 virus has been confirmed, the school is advised to inform all parents. Learners that display flu symptoms should stay at home for at least 24 hours. If the illness prevails, parents are advised to take the learner to a medical practitioner or a health clinic, especially if the child is coughing and has a high temperature. At this stage we advise learners with flu to stay at home for seven days.
We will continue to monitor the virus very closely and, together with the Health Department, provide any necessary support to our schools.
Media enquiries:
Bronagh Casey
Cell: 072 7241422
E-mail: brcasey@pgwc.gov.za
