Swine flu forces school closures in Morocco

2009-11-10

Officials urge parents not to worry as incidents of flu rise throughout schools.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 10/11/09

[File] Health Minister Yasmina Baddou says Morocco has "successfully controlled" the spread of swine flu.

The swine flu pandemic has arrived in Moroccan schools, with 252 cases now identified across the kingdom. The first case of the current outbreak was detected in Fes on October 23rd.

Affected schools have been temporarily closed in Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir and Marrakesh. All of the closed schools are private academies; a nationwide school closure is not anticipated, according to Omar Meneazhi, Director of Epidemiology at the Ministry of Health.

"The situation is bound to get worse before it gets better," he warned. "But we're managing to keep it under control. Monitoring committees have been set up to evaluate the situation and apply appropriate strategies."

The Morocco school-wide infection is believed to have begun in a Fes private school, after one student returned from a holiday in France, where he contracted the virus and infected nine students. It then spread to schools in Casablanca and Rabat, where dozens of schoolchildren have fallen ill. One private school in Fes and another private school in Casablanca are now closed until further notice.

All infected students are exhibiting minor symptoms of the disease and have not required hospitalisation.

Health ministry officials called on parents to take their children to the nearest hospital should they develop flu symptoms, and refrain from sending them to school where they could possibly infect other children.

However, doctors urged parents not to panic. "It's like seasonal flu, but it just spreads a little more rapidly," said Mustapha Hida, who heads the paediatric department at Hassan II University Hospital in Fes. "Hygiene must be maintained to provide protection, particularly by keeping hands clean."

"Morocco is at the top of Arab countries that have successfully controlled the spread of swine flu," said Health Minister Yasmina Baddou on October 27th.

To aid in this effort, a monitoring body was created to co-ordinate between regional and national institutions and to assess the spread of the disease.

The national education ministry is also reassuring parents not to be concerned.

Mohammed Ouled Dadda, director of the Fes education authority, said that everything had been put in place in schools to most effectively prevent the spread the disease. Students have been provided with leaflets and sessions on preventing illness, while teachers have been trained to identify possible cases and alert officials.

The education ministry also plans to retrain students in afflicted areas on how to best prevent the flu and recognise its symptoms.

For students who miss classes due to illness, the ministry will also be launching educational media broadcasts to help them prepare for official examinations.

Despite these precautions, some parents are still worried. "No one is safe. I'm afraid for my children who study in private school," said Slimane Kabbali, a mother of three. "To be fair, the school management has put preventative measures in place. But there is still a risk. They need to vaccinate both pupils and teachers."