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Turkey begins swine-flu vaccinations for children
Monday, November 16, 2009
ISTANBUL ? Daily News with wires
Vaccines for the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, became available Monday for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, as well as people suffering from chronic illnesses.
Vaccinations are being given free of charge at local health clinics and family health centers. No documentation is needed to receive the vaccine.
Health Minister Recep Akdağ asked citizens to not hesitate to get vaccinated. Based on estimates provided over the weekend by health experts, he said, some 400,000 people might have contracted the virus in Turkey.
?A virus is present that could exist throughout the winter season. We will vaccinate at-risk groups first,? Akdağ said.
Noting that every vaccine ?can have side effects,? he added: ?We vaccinated around 300,000 health personnel, and all of them are fine. More than 60 of our citizens have died [from swine flu]. So the risk of any possible side effect is less than that of death.?
According to Akdağ, 2.4 million doses of the swine-flu vaccine are available in Turkey.
Meanwhile, the panic accompanying the rapid rise in the number of people contracting the H1N1 virus is believed to be a major factor behind increased rates of absenteeism at Istanbul schools. As a result, calls are growing for schools? mid-year breaks to be moved forward.
The general rate of absenteeism is stated to be 7 to 8 percent in Istanbul, or 200,000 students among the 2.5 million enrolled in the city. Some schools have had as many as 900 students absent in a single day.
The Gen? Osman Primary School in ?mraniye had 500 of its 1,300 students missing last Tuesday and 438 last Wednesday. Out of the 3,500 students at the T?rk-İsve? Kardeşliği Primary School, 960 students stayed home. The Kısıklı Primary School in ?sk?dar, which has an enrollment of 2,000 students and a typical absentee rate of 20 to 30, had 450 absent students last Thursday.
According to data from the provincial directorates of national education, there are almost 90,000 students in the Kartal district of Istanbul. Before the swine-flu epidemic, the absenteeism average for this group was around 2,000, a number that rose to 7,300 last week. The 5 to 7 percent absenteeism rate in the city?s Şişli district likewise rose to 10 to 15 percent last week.
Some schools, however, have not been affected by the overall increase in the number of absentee students. The Turhan Mediha Tansel Primary School in Kadık?y is one of them. School officials said this is because the parents of their students are well informed about the issue. A significant increase in the absenteeism rates has also not been seen at private schools.
?We do not keep specific numbers on the absenteeism rate at private schools,? said Cem G?lan, president of the Private Schools Association. ?However, the general situation is a rate of between 5 and 10 percent, a bit higher than last year.?
All of the schools in the province of Istanbul send their daily absentee numbers to the provincial education directorates and then they are transferred to the governor?s office. According to Muammer Yıldız, the Istanbul provincial manager of education, no abnormalities in the process have been experienced.
?The absenteeism rate has increased by 1 to 2 percent and climbed to 7 to 8 percent. This does not necessarily mean that those who do not show up at school all have swine flu,? Yıldız said. ?Sometimes the number of students increases. News and gossip increase the absenteeism numbers.?
Yıldız said he is sending a memo to all schools in order to inform parents on the matter.
According to Alaadin Din?er, former president of the educator union Eğitim-Sen, the absenteeism rate climbed to 15 to 20 percent last week and the process of vaccinating students should be speeded up. ?If the vaccine is left for early December, there will not be students left in schools,? Din?er said.
The Association of Private Education Institutions of Turkey, or T?DER, said the absenteeism rate has exceeded 30 percent for the country in general and demanded that the mid-year holiday be declared 15 days early. According to a statement issued by the group: ?Our schools are under serious threat. Parents are not sending their children.?
Monday, November 16, 2009
ISTANBUL ? Daily News with wires
Vaccines for the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, became available Monday for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, as well as people suffering from chronic illnesses.
Vaccinations are being given free of charge at local health clinics and family health centers. No documentation is needed to receive the vaccine.
Health Minister Recep Akdağ asked citizens to not hesitate to get vaccinated. Based on estimates provided over the weekend by health experts, he said, some 400,000 people might have contracted the virus in Turkey.
?A virus is present that could exist throughout the winter season. We will vaccinate at-risk groups first,? Akdağ said.
Noting that every vaccine ?can have side effects,? he added: ?We vaccinated around 300,000 health personnel, and all of them are fine. More than 60 of our citizens have died [from swine flu]. So the risk of any possible side effect is less than that of death.?
According to Akdağ, 2.4 million doses of the swine-flu vaccine are available in Turkey.
Meanwhile, the panic accompanying the rapid rise in the number of people contracting the H1N1 virus is believed to be a major factor behind increased rates of absenteeism at Istanbul schools. As a result, calls are growing for schools? mid-year breaks to be moved forward.
The general rate of absenteeism is stated to be 7 to 8 percent in Istanbul, or 200,000 students among the 2.5 million enrolled in the city. Some schools have had as many as 900 students absent in a single day.
The Gen? Osman Primary School in ?mraniye had 500 of its 1,300 students missing last Tuesday and 438 last Wednesday. Out of the 3,500 students at the T?rk-İsve? Kardeşliği Primary School, 960 students stayed home. The Kısıklı Primary School in ?sk?dar, which has an enrollment of 2,000 students and a typical absentee rate of 20 to 30, had 450 absent students last Thursday.
According to data from the provincial directorates of national education, there are almost 90,000 students in the Kartal district of Istanbul. Before the swine-flu epidemic, the absenteeism average for this group was around 2,000, a number that rose to 7,300 last week. The 5 to 7 percent absenteeism rate in the city?s Şişli district likewise rose to 10 to 15 percent last week.
Some schools, however, have not been affected by the overall increase in the number of absentee students. The Turhan Mediha Tansel Primary School in Kadık?y is one of them. School officials said this is because the parents of their students are well informed about the issue. A significant increase in the absenteeism rates has also not been seen at private schools.
?We do not keep specific numbers on the absenteeism rate at private schools,? said Cem G?lan, president of the Private Schools Association. ?However, the general situation is a rate of between 5 and 10 percent, a bit higher than last year.?
All of the schools in the province of Istanbul send their daily absentee numbers to the provincial education directorates and then they are transferred to the governor?s office. According to Muammer Yıldız, the Istanbul provincial manager of education, no abnormalities in the process have been experienced.
?The absenteeism rate has increased by 1 to 2 percent and climbed to 7 to 8 percent. This does not necessarily mean that those who do not show up at school all have swine flu,? Yıldız said. ?Sometimes the number of students increases. News and gossip increase the absenteeism numbers.?
Yıldız said he is sending a memo to all schools in order to inform parents on the matter.
According to Alaadin Din?er, former president of the educator union Eğitim-Sen, the absenteeism rate climbed to 15 to 20 percent last week and the process of vaccinating students should be speeded up. ?If the vaccine is left for early December, there will not be students left in schools,? Din?er said.
The Association of Private Education Institutions of Turkey, or T?DER, said the absenteeism rate has exceeded 30 percent for the country in general and demanded that the mid-year holiday be declared 15 days early. According to a statement issued by the group: ?Our schools are under serious threat. Parents are not sending their children.?
