RIYADH: The Ministry of Education on Monday ordered the closure of an international school in Riyadh after 20 students tested positive for swine flu. Officials, however, declined to identify the school except to say it is “East Asian.” A dozen other unrelated cases have also been identified.
Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Khalid Al-Mirghalani told Arab News that health officials asked the Education Ministry to temporarily close the school to contain the spread of the virus. The ministry spokesman said officials reacted promptly and according to World Health Organization guidelines to avoid further infection among school staff and students.
“We have segregated the infected students and they are currently being treated in a Riyadh hospital,” Al-Mirghalani said, adding that all students, teachers and administrative staff of the school have been asked to see a doctor at the first sign of flu symptoms in the coming days.
Swine flu incubation can take up to seven days, though generally it is between 24 and 48 hours from initial infection. Anti-viral drugs work best if taken within 48 hours of the manifestation of symptoms.
East Asian schools in the capital include institutions from the Philippines and Indonesia. Around 13 Philippine schools are located in Riyadh.
Moiz Al-Qahtani, general supervisor of international schools in Riyadh province for the Education Ministry, said that most of the western region schools are already closed for summer vacation, but, “we will send out circulars to other schools to be alert on the outbreak and advise staff and students to take precautionary measures against the disease.”
A spokesman from one of the Philippine schools (who didn’t want the school identified in this report) said his school takes extraordinary precautions to keep swine flu out. “We have requested the students who return from their vacation in the Philippines to stay home for a period of seven days,” he said.
The 20 flu cases at the school, plus the additional 12 cases identified since Sunday, bring the total count of Saudi swine flu cases to 216. The new cases include five Saudis — two men and three women — and seven foreign residents: four women and three men.
The Ministry of Health has intensified its awareness program against swine flu throughout the Kingdom by sending SMS text messages to mobile phone users.
“In the wake of the increasing incidence of swine flu, we have embarked on an intensive campaign to educate the masses on the preventive measures that should be taken to fight the disease,” Al-Mirghalani said.
