JEDDAH: As 5 million pupils of different nationalities and 540,000 teachers begin the new school year starting next week, parents have — according to an Arab News survey of parents at a popular Jeddah mall — mixed feelings about a possible outbreak of swine flu in schools. The 73 parents surveyed have children of different ages at public, private and international schools, and come from a variety of countries. Forty-two parents said they would allow their children to take H1N1 flu jabs, while 15 said no and another 15 said they had not yet decided.

Meanwhile, only a minority of parents (two of those surveyed) said they would send their children to school if they showed flu symptoms, saying Jeddah’s environment cannot be free of flu.

Forty-eight of the parents said they have changed or are planning to change their children’s routines and lifestyles by minimizing outdoor activities. Twenty-five, however, said they are not worried. According to a Ministry of Education directive, intermediate and high schools are to open next Saturday (Oct. 10), and kindergarten and primary schools are to open on (Oct. 17).

The schools have been postponed by a royal order to train 66,000 teachers on how to deal with the disease and take necessary precautions.

Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah has said previously that the Kingdom is to receive 1 million vaccines in October. “The ministry would be running campaigns to give all primary school students in public and private schools H1N1 jabs,” said Dr. Sami Badawood, director of Health Affairs in Jeddah, adding that this would be done with the approval of parents.

Dr. Mahmoud Al-Sayid, manager of the medical supervision section at the Department of Education in Jeddah, told Arab News that all the directives regarding swine flu equally apply to all public and private schools.

Asked about the distribution of vaccines at international schools, Al-Sayid said it is the Ministry of Health who would be able to answer this question. There are over 540 schools in Jeddah, said a source at the Ministry of Education.