In connection with the fast spreading swine flu pandemic the World Health Organisation said Tuesday that school closures were among the measures that countries could consider to tackle it. Asked about possible recommendations on school closures to limit the spread of influenza A(H1N1), WHO spokeswoman Aphaluck Bhatiasevi reiterated that the WHO had no specific recommendation for each country. ‘School closure is one of the mitigation measures that could be considered by countries,’ she told journalists. ‘Different countries would be facing the pandemic at different levels at different times, so it is really up to countries to consider what mitigation measures would suit them,’ Bhatiasevi added. There has been a growing debate in some European countries about the merits of delaying the reopening of schools after the summer holidays or in the autumn.
The regular flu season usually picks up again in the northern hemisphere’s autumn and winter, and many experts are predicting that the pandemic strain will intensify with the colder weather.
Some countries have closed schools temporarily to stifle the transmission of swine flu in the close confines of classrooms ‘-notably Mexico after the outbreak first appeared in April – or when infections were detected there.
The global health watchdog said last week that the first pandemic of the 21st century had ‘spread internationally with unprecedented speed.’
‘In past pandemics, influenza viruses have needed more than six months to spread as widely as the new H1N1 virus has spread in less than six weeks,’ the WHO added.