Schools told to stick to influenza guidelines as flu cases surge

Muscat: With the number of flu cases surging at par with global trends, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has asked schools to follow the ministry guidelines to deal with such cases.

The ministry had earlier asked people from the target group to get seasonal influenza vaccines available at health centres and private health institutions.

“Influenza is a global issue, and we have our systems and guidelines for schools on how to deal with flu cases and schools are expected to follow them,” said Dr Nihal Afifi, Head of Primary Health at the Ministry of Health.

According to a school management representative, three to four children are absent per day due to symptoms of influenza, including sneezing, running nose and fever.

“We have at least three to four children reporting with symptoms of influenza including sneezing, running nose and/or fever, and for a school of our size, it’s a big number, if put together,” he said.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the current seasonal influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses which circulate in all parts of the world.