Fear: More schools close

Pandemic: Students asked to show fitness certificates

On Tuesday, National Public Schools in Koramangala, Rajajinagar and Indiranagar, besides the Sishu Griha Montessori School, HAL 3rd Stage, Vidyasagar and other institutions suspended classes for a week.

Many other schools which did not join the holiday bandwagon, made it mandatory to produce medical fitness certificates and asked students to wear masks covering nose and mouth, as a preventive measure.

Fumigation

Schools such as Delhi Public School (DPS)-North have taken stringent measures like fumigation of class rooms before the arrival of children into the school campus on working days. DPS-North has also made it mandatory for children who are ill to produce medical certificates stating the absence of H1N1 influenza or any other infectious diseases.

School managements have been discouraging parents from sending their wards to the school, if not feeling well.

At the same time host of precautionary measures are being announced by teachers in the classrooms, three times a day.

With season playing a crucial role, the school physician of DPS-North has been receiving 40-50 students as outpatients with symptoms of cold, cough and fever.

“Children have queries if common cold symptoms are that of H1N1 influenza. On a normal day as many as 40 students have been examined for common cold, fever and other symptoms,” said Dr Vidya Prabhu, Physician, DPS North.

While the unaided private schools are able to declare holidays as a precautionary measure, the government schools too are taking effective measures.

The Suvarna Arogya Chaitanya Programme (SACP) covers medical check up for one crore students in government and aided schools across the State. This year with the H1N1 influenza lurking, the Education Department has incorporated the screening for the virus.

The Chief Medical Inspector of Schools, C S Nagalakshamma said that medical inspection has been conducted  for about 30 percent of students from government schools as of date. “As part of SACP, children are regularly checked for communicable diseases but this year the screening for H1N1 influenza virus has been included too” she revealed. She said that the check up was mandatory at government and aided schools while it was optional for unaided schools.