WEST BANK: Health ministry closes Islamic school after seven possible cases of the H1N1 flu virus

Record ID: 561120

  • Title: WEST BANK: Health ministry closes Islamic school after seven possible cases of the H1N1 flu virus
  • Date: 15th September 2009
  • Summary: DOCTOR EXAMINING STUDENT VARIOUS OF STUDENTS AND TEACHERS WEARING MASKS, WAITING TO BE CHECKED
  • Embargoed: 30th September 2009 13:00
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  • Reuters ID: LVA9945V818IV0RPHAKW2VP5P9UX
  • Story Text: The Palestinian ministry of health closed an Islamic school in the West Bank town of Nablus on Tuesday (September 15) after the discovery of seven possible cases of the H1N1 flu virus.
    The school will be closed until the end of the Islamic holiday of Eid el-Fitr, hoping to prevent the spread of the flu to other schools and students.
    H1N1 flu is a genetic mix of human, bird and swine viruses.
    The emergence of the never-before-seen virus in Mexico and the United States and its fast international spread caused the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare in June that a pandemic was under way. The U.N. agency, which described it as the fastest-moving pandemic ever seen, has said it is impossible to stop it from circulating, and is monitoring it closely for signs of mutation or combination with other flu viruses.
    While most patients have had mild flu-like symptoms, such as fever and vomiting, pregnant women and people with diabetes and other diseases have been vulnerable to more serious effects.
    Anan Atira, deputy Nablus governor, said the cases at the school were not believed to have originated from outside the Palestinian territories.
    "We began researching on how the flu spread, and we knew from the head of the Nablus Health Directorate that the spread (of flu) was domestic and had no connection from the patients or infected to foreigners or people who have come from abroad," she said.
    It is the first school to be closed in the West Bank as a precaution against the spread of H1N1 flu.
    The total number of people infected with H1N1 flu is not known, and countries are no longer testing and reporting each individual case of a person falling ill. The WHO has said more emphasis should be placed on preventing infection and treating the most serious cases to avoid unnecessary death.
    According to the WHO website, more than 3,000 people have died from the virus worldwide.
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