Swine flu exodus

Julie Gilbert • Published 24 Jun 2009 09:54

Parents keep kids off school after case confirmed

AT least 79 primary kids were kept off school by concerned parents after a pupil was confirmed as having swine flu last week.

Education bosses decided not to close Kilbowie Primary once the case was confirmed but a significant number of parents took their own action.

Many are extremely anxious as the child - believed to be a girl in primary six - has the first confirmed case of swine flu in Clydebank and since the confirmation on Wednesday other children displaying symptoms have been tested.

Several parents feel the school should have been shut, or at least the child"s year group sent home, as was done in Paisley and Glasgow recently when kids were diagnosed there.

However, since those cases there has been a change in advice from health chiefs.

One mum said: 'I know a lot of people who kept their children off school.

'Why can"t they do what they did in Glasgow and shut the school down? And they gave out medication elsewhere so why not here?'

Many parents also feel that information was poorly communicated. West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) arranged for letters to be sent home in a 'school bag drop' with children on Wednesday.

However, it appears many kids did not deliver the letters leaving some alarmed parents to find out by word of mouth.

This is reflected in the fact that only 10 pupils were kept off school on Thursday - the first day the news filtered out - but by Friday 79 were absent as word spread.

One mum said: 'At first kids were talking about it in the playground and I thought it might just be a story, but I phoned up and they confirmed a primary six child did have it.

'I was furious that I hadn"t got a letter telling me about it.'

Another mum said: 'I knew it was out there but I didn"t think it was in my own back yard.

'I shouldn"t have to phone up to find out what"s going on - I should be told.

'It seems like no-one"s really that bothered about it.'

A spokeswoman for WDC said: 'A pupil at Kilbowie Primary has been confirmed with influenza H1N1 (swine flu) and is being treated at home.

'The council has rigorous procedures already in place to deal with this issue and remains in regular contact with public health.

'The health board"s advice is that risk assessments are considered to no longer be appropriate in this current phase of the outbreak.

'Furthermore, in line with national guidance, there will be no further need to consider school year group exclusions, school closures or anti-viral medication for pupils.

'Executive director for education, Terry Lanagan, is appealing for parents to remain calm and he re-assures that, West Dunbartonshire Council and the Greater Glasgow & Clyde health board are following all guidelines to ensure that we act in the best interests for all concerned.

'Advice will continue to be issued directly to parents and across the local media.'

Parents Comments:

They are still giving it elsewhere.

West Dunbartonshire Council said they sent out three letters and when I said I didn"t receive them they said maybe they were left in my son"s tray.

I think they should tell parents more.

I just heard through other parents, they"ve not officially said anything

Obviously I"m concerned. You feel like a bad mother for sending them but we haven"t been told not to.

I"m going to speak to the teacher about it.

yesterday I got a phone call from the school saying my son wasn"t feeling well.

He had a stomach ache and a headache.

I think they should close the school but they say they are waiting on advice from the health board.

I am quite worried about it because we haven"t heard anything about it being in Clydebank before.

ave got two grandsons at the school and I actually heard about it from children in the playground.

One"s in primary six and one"s in primary seven.

With it coming up to the summer holidays all these kids are going to be more in contact than they would normally be.

I don"t think it"s being taken seriously.

They should have put a letter in every pupil"s bag but they said they were waiting for the health board to do a risk assessment.

Especially given the recent situation with it reaching pandemic level.

It"s important the family involved don"t think they are being made scapegoats for scaremongering but we don"t even know if the family live in the area.

At first we weren"t sure if it was just a story.

I think more should have been done to make us aware given the severity of the problem.

I might end up keeping the boys off.

If the situation gets any worse I"ll take it further.

I"m not that worried about it. Only one person in the whole of Europe has died. More people die of the normal flu.

I think the school have handled it really well and have done everything they are supposed to do.

WDC:

Other parents have presented their children for tests worried that they have symptoms but there are no confirmations.

Attendance. Dropped by 10 on the Thursday and 79 on the Friday.

Attendance at Kilbowie Primary was lower than usual on 18 June as a result of the Health Board confirmation of a child with swine flu who attends the school .

As soon as the Council was notified that a child had contracted swine flu at Kilbowie Primary a letter dated 17 June, based upon the Health Board"s advice, was sent to the school for a school bag drop. An updated letter, dated 18 June, was then issued from the Education Department which has just issued a copy of a NHS letter dated 19 February which confirms the details issued in the department"s letter of 18 June.

Concerned parents" telephone calls to Educational Services and the school have consistently been answered in line with Health Board advice.

The Council arranged for Your Radio to interview Education Head of Service, Dave Clarke on 18 February to further get the message out to parents and is continuing to issues update to all media. West Dunbartonshire Council has used every means of communication at it"s disposal to keep parents, pupils and staff fully informed.

West Dunbartonshire will continue to act upon the advice given by the Health Board.

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This article appeared in Clydebank Post 24 Jun 09

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