RIYADH: Five more cases of swine flu have been identified at a Philippine school that was closed on Monday after 20 students were hit by the virus, the Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday. Officials concerned refused to identify the school.
Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Al-Mirghalani said besides the five students, the ministry has recorded 11 new cases in other parts of the country, bringing the total number of cases in the Kingdom to 232. The patients were identified as six Saudis (four men and two women) and five expatriates (two men and three women) of unidentified nationalities.
Al-Mirghalani said the ministry is keeping a close watch on all students, their families and teachers of the affected school. “All 25 students were segregated and are taking treatment,” he said, adding that they would take about six days to recover fully.
“If we do not come across any more cases from the group, we may be able to reopen this school after a week,” he said. Separately, four Filipino students at Future Generation Philippine International School in Suleimaniyah caught the flu, said Romulo Victor Israel, charge d’affaires at the Philippine Embassy. He said the school reopened on Monday after being shuttered for two days. The school organized a mini-symposium for its students on Tuesday to tell them of the preventive measures to be taken against the virus. There are 13 Philippine schools in Riyadh, including the International Philippine School-Riyadh (IPSR). There are nine such schools in Jeddah, one in Buraidah and three in the Eastern Province.
“We have instructed all these schools to keep a watch on the students who are arriving in the Kingdom after their vacation back home,” Israel told Arab News. He said the mission has instructed these schools to conduct awareness programs among the staff and students.
When contacted by Arab News, Jose Tomas Octavia, welfare officer of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), said he was yet to confirm the name of the school that was closed on Monday.
According to a reliable source, there was one swine flu case among the students in another Philippine school in Riyadh. The incident prompted the school officials to disinfect the premises to prevent the disease from spreading further.
Amin Panolong, a member of the IPSR board of management, told Arab News that his school was put on red alert since the disease was imported into the Kingdom from the Philippines on May 29. “We conduct special programs in the school to disseminate information about infectious diseases and cultivate personal hygiene among its students,” he said.
Meanwhile, Taj International School in Suleimaniyah has instructed its students not to come to the school as a precautionary measure. Moiz Al-Qahtani, general supervisor for international schools in Riyadh, said there is no cause for panic among students. “The Ministry of Health has taken timely measures to keep the disease under control,” he said.
