Schools Told to Note H1N1 Symptoms

Experts are stressing on this message for avoiding a situation in which any child that sneezes or coughs for reasons not linked to swine flu is treated as a suspected H1N1 patient.

This is also important because some of the initial symptoms of H1N1 infection are similar to those of all other types of influenza, common cold, and certain allergies, especially in 
asthmatic people.

Dr Yousef Al Tair, a member of the Technical Health Committee for Combating H1N1 agrees that schools may face difficulty in detecting suspected cases among students since the in-school medical staff have to take that decision purely based on the symptoms, which are similar in many 
other diseases. “Basically, nurses or doctors in schools and in the primary health centres to which sick children are referred should make use of their clinical judgement skills and common sense,” he told Khaleej Times.

Another member of the committee, Dr Yousif Mohammed Al Serkal said it was important for schools to educate all staff and parents about the symptoms which generally include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, and a lack of appetite.

Based on international data, he said, majority of H1N1 patients had fever and a small percentage had diarrhoea and vomiting. “In children, there are certain emergency warning signs that need to be noticed. They include fast breathing or difficulty in breathing, bluish colour in skin, child not drinking fluids and not moving around normally... or he becomes very irritable or he has a rash.”

He said the emergency warning signs that need immediate medical attention in adults included shortness of breath, pain in chest or abdomen and sudden dizziness. “These symptoms can also be seen in (infected) adult staff in schools,” said Dr Serkal who is also the Director of Kuwaiti Hospital.

He said schools should also make staff and students aware that the disease spreads through “droplets that usually don’t travel beyond six feet, but can stay on surfaces for some time and that one to seven days is considered the normal incubation period.”

Schools should also consider history of travel or close contact with an already infected person within seven days prior to the onset of symptoms for closely linking the symptoms to H1N1 influenza, said Dr Tair, who is also the head of Accident and Emergency Department in the Ministry of Health.

He said more care and attention should be given to students with diabetes, asthma, heart disease and allergies. “Their immunity and fitness can be judged by their doctors. But, school clinics should know about the health condition of such children.” He said giving masks to such children will be a good protective measure for them, apart from asking them to follow the rules of social distancing and 
hand hygiene.

Dr Serkal said all children below five years, and those aged below 18 years if receiving long-term aspirin therapy are also considered among the high-risk group, for whom confirmatory tests will be conducted compulsorily.

Though the normal home quarantine duration is meant for seven days for patients with suspected or confirmed H1N1 infection, sick patients, including students and staff, should stay home for 24 hours after becoming free of symptoms without any medication.

This is to make sure that they have recovered completely after the necessary treatment and compulsory 
isolation period.

sajila@khaleejtimes.ae