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INFLUENZA PANDEMIC (H1N1) 2009 (83): IRAQ, SCHOOLS
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A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org

Date: Thu 22 Oct 2009
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),
Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) News [edited]
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86693

Swine flu [influenza A (H1N1)] panic shuts down 2000 schools

Panic over the possible spread of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza has
prompted the closure of more than 2000 schools in Iraq, according to
officials. Education minister Khudhair Al-Khuzaie said the unauthorized
closure of schools was “illegal and unprofessional” and blamed “exaggerated
media reports that have created such a panic”. “Over the past week, we
diagnosed 4 cases of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza among school students
in the southern province of Kut, then the number increased to 25 cases and
that prompted us to quarantine and shut down the school [where the cases
were detected],” said Ihsan Jaafar, a senior Health Ministry official.

A few days later, other cases were confirmed in 6 Baghdad schools. “We’ve
also closed them and that brings the total number of schools closed based
on decisions issued by the Health Ministry to 7,” Jaafar told IRIN.
“Unjustified panic” had prompted some officials in southern Iraq to close
schools where no H1N1 cases had been detected, a measure “unacceptable to
the Health Ministry,” Jaafar said.

On 20 Oct 2009, 2 local officials in the southern provinces of Thi Qar and
Kut said that nearly 2500 schools and kindergartens would be closed to
prevent the disease from spreading. Muthana Hassan Mahdi of Kut education
directorate said a 5 day precautionary shutdown had been in force since 21
Oct 2009 in 950 schools and kindergartens. Meanwhile, Hadi Al-Riyahi, a
local health official, said 1477 schools would be closed in Thi Qar for 10
days from 22 Oct 2009. Kut is 160 km [about 100 mi] and Thi Qar is 320 km
[about 200 mi] south of Baghdad.

Precautionary measures: schools should only be closed for a week if a
teacher and 2—3 students have the disease, Jaafar said. Those infected
would be quarantined and the school sterilized. Students and infected
students’ families would be closely monitored, he added. Tamiflu stocks
were sufficient for 300 000 cases; another batch of 150 000 doses was
expected in the next few days, he said.

According to the Health Ministry, the total number of confirmed H1N1 cases
in Iraq is 523, of whom 113 are Iraqis and the rest foreigners, including
members of the US forces. The death toll stands at 3.

—
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
promed@promedmail.org

[The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Iraq can be accessed at
http://healthmap.org/r/00YR

Mod.CP]

[see also:
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (82): Egypt, quarantine alert 20091101.3776
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (81): Ukraine, conf. 20091101.3771
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (80): Ukraine susp. RFI 20091031.3764
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (79): responses in children 20091030.3757
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (78): oseltamivir resistance, USA (NC)
20091030.3753
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (77): Taiwan oseltamivir resistance
20091027.3725
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (76); El Salvador, dengue co-infection
20091025.3695
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (75): southern hemisphere 20091022.3637
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (74): Canada (ON) oseltamivir resist
20091022.3634
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (73): Taiwan oseltamivir resistance
20091021.3626
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (72): pneumonia 20091017.3577
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (71): case counts 20091017.3568
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (70): Nepal 20091016.3563
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (60): bacterial coinfection 20090930.3410
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (50): oseltamivir-resistance 20090917.3260
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (40): global update 20090906.3138
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (30): assumptions 20090813.2879
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (20): Peru, 33 percent asymptomatic
20090730.2668
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (10): vaccine 20090720.2577
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - Viet Nam: patient data 20090708.2450]

.................cp/mj/sh