By Venus Honore-Gopie Thursday, October 22 2009

Maha Sabha general secretary Sat Maharaj confirmed a report of one student of Caroni Hindu Primary School testing positive for the Influenza A/H1N1 virus, or swine flu.

He said the principal of the school contacted the Ministry of Education and a report was also made to Chief Medical Officer Dr Anton Cumberbatch. The affected student was screened at a private medical institution.

Maharaj said Minister of Health Jerry Narace had announced this country was in the second wave of the virus and it was time the “Health Ministry made a decision to keep schools closed for two to three weeks until it was safe for students to return.”

A school official said the school has being sanitised as a precaution. The school has also advised the 443 student population to walk with hand sanitisers. In spite of this case, there was a strong turnout of students at the Caroni school yesterday.

Apart from this case, there has been another confirmed report of the virus at St Xavier’s Private School in St Joseph, principal Sister Annetta Alexander said yesterday.

Alexander said they received a report from the parent of a student of Prep 4 who was confirmed of having the virus. A student of Prep 1 and her mother were confirmed as having the virus earlier this week. Alexander said parents are being advised to keep their children who have flu symptoms at home.

This is in keeping with the Ministry of Education’s advisory that children with flu symptoms should remain home for 10 days or until 24 hours after their symptoms end.

“It is expected that there will be continuing incidences of influenza like illnesses in the country including school children and therefore the ministry is advising teachers to maintain an increased level of monitoring for flu-like illness among students and staff,” the ministry said in a release.

Meanwhile, the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) yesterday said no patients are being turned away at Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope and extra resources have been put in place at all of the NCRHA’s facilities.

The NCRHA said swabbing is not an actual treatment of the virus and therefore, is not necessary in every case.