(((”The timing of school closure is critically important,” WHO said. The H1N1 virus has killed at least 3,205 people worldwide since emerging last April in North America.
Despite the ministry’s requests against school closure, TOI was the first to highlight an Imperial College, London, study that showed that closing down schools entirely during a flu pandemic may cut infection rates by 40%. ))
WHO recants H1N1 advice on schools
Kounteya Sinha, TNN 13 September 2009, 12:34am IST
NEW DELHI: The global health watchdog, World Health Organisation, may have learnt a lesson or two from India’s handling of the H1N1 swine flu
outbreak. Almost six months after the bug made its presence felt, WHO has said closing schools at the start of an H1N1 flu outbreak could slow down the virus’ spread by almost 30%-50% and help buy crucial time to build up defences against the highly infectious strain of influenza.
This is exactly what Indian schools, especially in Delhi and Pune, did. And interestingly, they did so against the Union health ministry’s wishes. Following WHO’s advice, the ministry had, for the past few months, been speaking of the lack of benefits in keeping entire schools shut after students tested positive for H1N1 infection.
The ministry’s advice was to shut only those classes where a student had tested positive for H1N1. Health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had held “shutting a school wouldn’t mean you can stop students from attending parties and meeting friends in the evening where they can get the infection. Schools must stay open.”
But on Saturday, WHO said experience to date has demonstrated the role of schools in amplifying transmission of the pandemic virus, both within and into the wider community. This has led to the revision of its opinion. After “drawing on recent experiences in several countries”, WHO said school closure can operate as a proactive measure in reducing transmission of H1N1.
WHO said, “The main benefit of proactive school closure comes from slowing down the spread of an outbreak within a given area and thus flattening the peak of infections. School closure can also buy some time as countries intensify preparedness measures or build up supplies of vaccines and antiviral drugs.” WHO’s modeling studies suggest school closure has its greatest benefits when this is effected very early in an outbreak. If schools close too late in the course of a community-wide outbreak, the resulting reduction in transmission is likely to be very limited.
“The timing of school closure is critically important,” WHO said. The H1N1 virus has killed at least 3,205 people worldwide since emerging last April in North America.
Despite the ministry’s requests against school closure, TOI was the first to highlight an Imperial College, London, study that showed that closing down schools entirely during a flu pandemic may cut infection rates by 40%.
Mathematical models suggest that swine flu has an attack rate of 30% once it enters a country, that is, the likelihood is 30% of citizens will catch it at some point. Children are thought to be important vectors of transmission and susceptible to most influenza strains than adults. High contact rates in schools also favour transmission.
WHO also highlighted that shutting down schools has a serious economic burden with cost arising from absenteeism of working parents or guardians who have to stay home to take care of their children.
Studies estimate that school closures can lead to the absence of 16% of the workforce. WHO had earlier said that by the end of the pandemic, anywhere between 15% and 45% of a population would have been infected by the new pandemic virus. If one takes the mid-point figure of 30%, it’ll mean two billion people getting the infection, WHO said.
Give Olympic athletes flu shot priority: official
Plenty of time to receive vaccinations, health agency says
Last Updated: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 | 9:32 AM MT
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2009/10/13/olympic-athletes-h1n1-flu-vaccine331.html
Canada’s Olympic team should receive the swine flu vaccine on a priority basis to prevent an outbreak at the Winter Games, the team’s top medical officer said amid reports that Canadian athletes who come down with the virus may be placed in quarantine
Bob McCormack, chief medical officer for Canada’s Olympic team, told CBC News the Olympics provide a potential breeding ground for the H1N1 virus and that provides justification for making athletes a priority for the vaccine.
“The Olympics is where the viruses of the world come to meet,” Bowman said. “If you have hundreds of countries getting together with thousands of athletes in a small, contained area of the village — it’s a breeding ground for viruses.”
Athletes’ bodies are also under the stress of high-level training, which can affect the immune system, he said.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said it has already decided not to give Olympic athletes vaccination on a priority basis because they have lots of time to get the shot before the competition.
But McCormack said many athletes have a busy schedule leading into the Vancouver Games in February and should be able to receive it now. He would like to see athletes vaccinated before many begin leaving Canada for pre-Olympic competitions beginning in November.
Canada has invested large sums of money into ensuring the team’s success at the event. “If we end up with an outbreak in the Canadian team, it could have a devastating impact on our goals of being the No. 1 medal nation,” he said.
No quarantine: IOC
University of Toronto bioethicist Kerry Bowman said that when pregnant women and aboriginal communities are at a high risk of being infected by the virus, treating athletes on a priority basis could be seen as offensive.
“What some people in the public may certainly say is this is just a privileged group and in fact they are being jumped to the front of the queue,” Bowman said. “That may offend some Canadians.”
The International Olympic Committee has said it will not quarantine athletes who get sick at the Games.
But Canadian officials have told athletes if they are sick at the Games there is a possibility they will be moved away from the rest of Team Canada and potentially removed from the Olympic village, said CBC correspondent Teddy Katz.
“They can’t afford to take the risk that this thing will spread through more than one team or perhaps the entire team,” Katz said.
‘Imagine how Canada would react’
Figure skater Anabelle Langlois thought that Canadians might not favour the athletes getting the vaccine first now, but they might feel differently if the virus does hit during the Games.
“I can’t imagine how Canada would react if the entire men’s hockey team would be wiped out from the H1N1 and wouldn’t compete,” Langlois said.
Figure skater Cody Hay said he is now considering seeking out the vaccine because of the possibility of quarantine.
But his pairs partner, Langlois, said she still wants to research the vaccine more before deciding if she will get the shot.
Because of doping regulations, athletes can be restricted in terms of what medications they can take if they do fall ill at the Games, Katz said. Other athletes and their coaches may be opposed to taking a flu shot because of concerns it may give them symptoms of the illness during their training routines ahead of the Olympics, he said.
McCormack said he is advising all Canadian athletes to get the vaccine.