CAIRO: Minister of Health Hatem El-Gabaly said no drastic precautionary measures will be taken in schools against the spread of H1N1, adding that the ministry will deal with the situation as it progresses. In a conference that brought together El-Gabaly and Minister of Education Yousry El-Gamal at the Ministry of Education Tuesday, El-Gamal said that the new academic year will start on Sept. 26 as scheduled. According to El-Gabaly, the ministry is prepared to deal with any H1N1 cases that might appear suddenly in schools and that closing down schools is a last resort. "Closing down does not mean that the disease is contained and will not be transmitted because those children will go out and play and interact with other children, El-Gabaly explained. El-Gamal, however, said that that the education ministry will launch awareness campaigns about the virus during the first academic week to inform students about the importance of hygiene as a preventive measure. El-Gamal added that the ministry is following up with all schools to ensure that they are maintaining proper hygiene standards. Schools are required to report any suspected cases to the Ministry of Education, El-Gamal said. According to El-Gabaly, if a student is suspected of having caught the virus, they will be moved to an empty room in the school until the parents arrive. He said that only students showing severe symptoms will be admitted to hospitals right away, but those who only show mild flu-like symptoms, such as fever and coughing, will be treated at home. "We will teach parents how to deal with a sick child, El-Gabaly said. On the other hand, El-Gamal said that he will monitor the situation in schools by "video conferences with the different school principals. Both El-Gamal and El-Gabaly said that students are free to wear masks if they want to. El-Gabaly said parents can make their own masks at home using cotton cloth and warned against vendors who bank on the virus' spread and sell masks at high prices. He also said that because the average age of H1N1 patients ranges from 5-25, he is keeping a close eye on schools and universities, and will meet the Minister of Higher Education soon. The health minister maintains that the number of H1N1 cases in Egypt is still limited. The total number of cases in Egypt has reached around 300, with only one reported death. Around 80 percent of the cases have recovered. "Until now 75 percent of the detected cases came from abroad leaving only 25 percent of the cases among the locals, El-Gabaly said. However, he warned of a trend of cases whose source of infection is unknown. El-Gabaly said the virus is more common in urban rather than rural areas, which is why more attention is given to cities not villages. The health minister said it is still unclear whether the virus will spread further in the fall, since the rise in the number of cases is inconsistent between countries where it is already winter.
