Egypt postpones schooling, scales up combat against swine flu

[Treyfish]

<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=NewsDetailsTitle>Egypt postpones schooling, scales up combat against swine flu </TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD class=NewsDetailsCategory>Health 9/10/2009 10:45:00 PM</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=ArticleDetails><TABLE class=ImageFloat cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD id=tdCaption class=pictureCaption width=180 align=middle></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>By Salah Metwalli and Ahmad Nour CAIRO, Sept 10 (KUNA) - The Egyptian cabinet has decided on Thursday to put off for one week the start schooling year, slated for Saturday, October 3, due to the outbreak of the Influenza A subtype virus (H1N1).
The move aims to verify the effectiveness of the preventive measures in brining the epidemic under control especially at a time when pilgrims are returning from Saudi Arabia after performing "umra" (minor pilgrimage) in the holy month of Ramadan.
The cabinet is scheduled to hold another meeting ahead of the start of schooling to review the health situations and the soundness of the sanitary conditions at schools and universities.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has met Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and other cabinet members on Tuesday to discuss the precautionary measures against the epidemic especially those relating to schools and universities.
The meeting took place after swine flu cases were discovered among students at the University of Alexandria.
The universities of Cairo and Alexandria have decided to air lectures live on their respective TV channels and hire more channels for the same purpose.
Meanwhile the Egyptian Ministry of Health has declared on Thursday 15 new cases of infection with the H1N1 virus, bringing the total number of the swine flu patients to 860 in the country.
"All the newly lab-confirmed cases concern Egyptian nationals, including one person who has arrived in the country from the United Arab Emirates and 11 others who have been in contact with swine flu patients," the ministry's undersecretary for preventive affairs Dr. Amr Kandeel told reporters here.
"A total of 763 patients have recovered completely after being treated with the antiviral Tamilu while two persons succumbed to the fatal disease," he said.
The remaining patients are in stable condition, Kandeel added </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
:tiphat:http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2024998&Language=en

 

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Re: Egypt postpones schooling, scales up combat against swine flu

Egypt orders foreign schools closed over swine flu: ministry

57 minutes ago

CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt has ordered foreign schools and universities to close until October 3 over worries about swine flu, with local schools having already been told to delay opening until then, a health ministry official said on Wednesday.

Egyptian universities and schools had been set to begin their academic year the last week of September, but foreign ones started earlier this month. The government decided to delay the school year last week, the official said.

American University of Cairo vice president Brian MacDougall said the university was asked on Tuesday to delay classes, which the university began on September 6.

An official at the French embassy confirmed that it has been told all French schools in the country must close until next month.

A Western diplomatic official said the decision affected US, British, French and Italian schools, as well as others.

A spokesman for the state-funded University of Cairo said classes in the university had been scheduled to start on September 26.

He said that that the school week will be extended to six days after the courses start because the university will reduce class sizes as part of measures to protect against the spread of the disease.

A medical team will be present in every department, he said.

Two people have died of the disease in Egypt so far and 886 have been infected.

Egypt, the most populous Arab country with a population of 88 million, has taken several measures to curb swine flu, including killing the country's estimated 200,000 pigs after the disease surfaced in other countries.

It has also restricted visas for pilgrims going to Islamic holy sites to those between the ages of 25 and 65.

The World Health Organisation said last week that school closures appear to be the most effective way of preventing the spread of the swine flu virus when implemented early in the outbreak.

While the UN health agency would not issue a definitive guidance on whether or not school closures should be implemented, it said the measure could cut health care demand by up to 50 percent at the peak of the pandemic.

More than 3,000 have died from the A(H1N1) virus since it first appeared in April and rapidly spread around the world.


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