Schools move to reduce the spread of illness
By Mark Sawyer
Schools in Wellington are following the Ministry of Health advice to reduce the spread of illness this winter with the threat of the H1N1 swine flu virus and measles upon us this winter. The Ministry of Health reports 2255 current cases of swine flu and the 10 deaths of people who had pre-existing health issues. Measles are another infectious disease which can spike during winter and symptoms often go undetected due to its 20-day incubation period. Normandale Primary School, has been following the Ministry of Health advice closely. Principal Anne-Marie Gordon has remained in close contact with the Ministry and maintained a constant flow of information to parents through frequent newsletters to parents. "So far we've been lucky, we haven't had a case of swine flu or measles at the school. We've repeated the Ministry's advice telling parents to keep their children at home if they suspect illness or flu and seek professional medical advice. We've also increased the supply of hand sanitiser and paper towels in the school bathrooms for the students to use." At the end of last term however, Normandale did have more than one hundred of their students off sick. "We increased the number of times we clean the computer keyboards in the computer labs and library during the day as these areas are high use areas of the school." Plimmerton Primary School has been watching the Ministry of Health's guidelines closely. The week before the July school holidays, the absentees made up a quarter of the school's roll. Principal Maurice Laird says they were forced to cancel the school show and assemblies to reduce the risk of spreading the illness. Principal Laird says the school collated a database of students emails addresses in the event the school had to be closed due to the swine flu pandemic. 'This will allow us to provide a basic level of education activities for the students if they we're forced to stay home." Meanwhile, Aotea College Associate Principal, Adrian Matthews says they've taken a considered approach to the issue. "Although I think the concern among the public has subsided a certain degree, we have focussed on making sure our teachers are protected so the school could stay open in the event of an outbreak." Mr Matthews says the school has supplied all staff with protective masks and hand sanitisers.
