KOLKATA: The state health department has decided to write to the school education department informing them about the measures needed for the school authorities to tackle Swine Flu cases among students in the city.
Dr Asit Biswas, nodal officer of Swine Flu, said that according to the statistics available with the health department, around 12 school children have been affected with Swine Flu till date. Meanwhile, nine more Swine Flu cases were detected in the city today taking the total number of affected persons to 82. Twenty six among them are admitted at various hospitals and the condition of four is critical.
One of the proposed health department directives, to be given to the schools through the school education department, has urged parents not to send their wards to school if they are suffering from influenza. Besides this, the school authorities have been asked not to seek any medical certificate from parents whose wards don’t attend school due to influenza as this may create unnecessary panic.
Dr Biswas said that teachers should immediately inform the principal if they find any student suffering from influenza-like symptoms with respiratory distress.
The state health department along with Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has also decided to provide vaccines to doctors and nurses of the private healthcare establishments. They have urged private hospitals and nursing homes to send a list of the beneficiaries in this regard. Moreover, they have ordered the private healthcare establishments to take tamiflu from KMC headquarters.
Dr Biswas also said that although they had intimated railway officials verbally about convening a meeting with them about necessary screening facility, the latter did not attend the meeting today. He said that they will send an official letter to the railways tomorrow.
Health officials have also urged the private hospitals to arrange 4-10 beds in their isolation wards so that Swine Flu affected persons could be admitted there. Already two of them have set up the
isolation facility.SNS
Schools to be briefed on Swine Flu preventive measures
