6 schools affected by flu
(NST) PETALING JAYA: SRK Assunta (2) here became the second school in the country to be closed for a week after a Year One pupil was infected with the influenza A (H1N1) yesterday.
On Sunday, SJK (C) Jalan Davidson in Kuala Lumpur was ordered to be shut down for a week after several pupils came down with the flu.
Four other schools — Cempaka International School at Batu 9, Cheras; SMK Sekysen 9, Shah Alam; SMK Damansara Utama in Petaling Jaya and SM Wangsa Maju in Kuala Lumpur — have been told to shut down classes where students were confirmed with the disease.
The students have also been ordered to be placed in home quarantine for a week.
Director-general of Health Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican told parents of students quarantined at home that they must ensure they did not go out.
If any of the children showed symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat or cold, the parents must alert the health authorities immediately.
Parents and other family members are not affected by the home quarantine. However, family members of confirmed influenza A victims must also remain under home quarantine.
Dr Ismail advised school-children who had returned home after being overseas, especially countries reporting local transmissions and high incidence of positive cases, to seek medical help if they developed symptoms. They should also avoid contact with others.
To date, 58 H1N1 cases have been reported in the country, including seven cases of local transmissions.
Earlier yesterday, school authorities at SMK Seksyen 9, Shah Alam, caused some unhappiness when they told 15 students who had been overseas during the recent school holidays to return home.
One Form 4 class of 42 students and 12 teachers had been put in home quarantine after a student in the class came down with the flu.
Home quarantine was also ordered for a class of Form Two students at the SMK Damansara Utama after a student was diagnosed with H1N1.
School authorities at SRK Assunta (2) had originally ordered that the classmates of a Year Five pupil to be placed in home quarantine after she was confirmed to be down with the flu last Friday.
Parents of classmates of the Year Five pupil were at the school about 8.30am to get instructions from Health Ministry officials on how to care for their quarantined children.
Half an hour later, more parents came as word spread that the school was ordered to be closed because of the new infection involving a Year One pupil.
A Parent-Teacher Association committee member, Rastam Ariffin, said the PTA wanted the health and education ministries to take aggressive measures to deal with the situation.
"We hope that the Health Ministry could provide us with masks and nurses to monitor the students' temperature.
"We will place alcohol-based sanitizer in the toilets, at the canteen and security guard post," he said.
Elias Bakri, 35, was among the parents who took their children home early.
"It is best that I take them (Nur Aisya, 9, and Nur Athira, 7) home and let them play for a week rather than taking them to school where they could be exposed to the flu. Better to be safe than sorry."
When asked whether she knew why she was taken home early that day, Nur Aisya shook her head and smiled.
