Close schools to stem flu - experts

Last Updated: Tuesday, 21 July 2009, 03:34 GMT

- Search: Swine flu school closures

Ministers have been asked to consider closing schools this autumn to help curb the number of swine flu infections.

Amid predictions that the number of cases will soar as the school holidays come to an end, two infection experts have argued that a school closure programme could "break the chains of transmission" and buy time to produce a vaccine.

Professor Neil Ferguson and Dr Simon Cauchemez, from the department of infectious disease epidemiology at Imperial College London, also cited studies showing that closing schools at the height of a flu pandemic could cut the number of cases by up to 45%.

"The pandemic could become more severe, and so the current cautious approach of not necessarily recommending school closure in Europe and North America might need reappraisal in the autumn," they said in the paper, published in the leading medical journal The Lancet.

The scientists quoted a recent French study which suggested that "proactively" closing schools could reduce flu cases by 13% to 17% overall, and by between 38% and 45% during the outbreak's peak.

The report said as children appeared to be more susceptible to the current bug than adults, there could be "strong arguments" for ministers to revisit their policy on school closures.

"It is... hoped that closure of schools during the pandemic might break the chains of transmission, with the following potential benefits: reducing the total number of cases; slowing the epidemic to give more time for vaccine production; and reducing the incidence of cases at the peak of the epidemic, limiting both the stress on healthcare systems and peak absenteeism in the general population, and thus increasing community-wide resilience," the researchers said.

Schools Secretary Ed Balls told The Guardian that there was "no longer" a case for closing schools to contain the infection's spread as the virus was already established in the community.

But he added: "We will be monitoring the situation closely over the school holidays and will review the evidence in late August."

On Monday, Health Secretary Andy Burnham sought to reassure pregnant women over swine flu amid criticism of the Government's handling of the issue, saying mothers-to-be do have a higher possibility of complications so should wash their hands frequently with soap and water and avoid contact with people who have swine flu.

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