Tweet
Commentary
As dozens of schools, and hundreds of classes, close, parents are left wondering whether health and education officials really know what they are doing in their attempts to combat the spread of swine flu, reports Reem Leila
<hr noshade="noshade"> <!-- STORY --> Since the H1N1 virus hit Egypt in early June, the government and people have often seemed in a state of panic. Even before the first case was reported officials rushed to implement precautionary measures, including health screening at airports and the controversial nationwide cull of pigs. Now, with more than 4,800 swine flu infections with 61 fatalities reported, and amid growing fears of vaccine shortages, officials have opted to close down classes in schools with more than three swine flu victims among their pupils. Some 164 schools and at least 1,400 classes have been shut down so far.
Health officials predict that the number of fatalities will reach 100 by the end of December. The Ministry of Health has announced an additional 25 swine flu casualties within less than a week. The latest deaths were reported as soon as they occurred. According to Abdel-Rahman Shahin, official spokesman at the Ministry of Health, 76 per cent of the latest fatalities had chronic underlying health problems. "The remaining 24 per cent did not appear to have underlying health complications. The Health Ministry is currently investigating the reasons behind their death and why they did not respond to Tamiflu," says Shahin.
The growing number of fatalities is attributed to the onset of winter. Health officials expect infection and death rates to escalate until the end of February 2010. Health Minister Hatem El-Gabali advised women not to become pregnant in the months leading up to April, pointing to a higher risk posed by the pregnancy. However, he assured that there is no scientific evidence that suggests that pregnant women will die if infected with the virus.
"By the middle of March numbers will start to fall," says Shahin.
The Health Ministry is currently setting the price of the H1N1 drug Tamiflu, which will soon be available for sale in pharmacies. The price per pack, says Shahin, should not exceed LE75.
Though thousands of students have lost class time due to classes being closed and because of the five-day extension to the Eid Al-Adha holiday, Adel Abdel-Ghaffar, official spokesman at the Ministry of Education, insists mid-year exams will be held as scheduled.
"We cannot suspend an entire school year when students' infection rates form only 36 per cent of overall cases, and there have been just two deaths among pupils. The academic fate of 16 million school pupils and two million university students cannot be risked for the sake of few hundred who have caught the flu and because parents are panicking needlessly," Abdel-Ghaffar says.
Meanwhile, El-Gabali has referred doctors who signed health certificates for the five Egyptian pilgrims who died during the hajj to a disciplinary committee. The doctors are accused of issuing the mandatory certificates stating that the pilgrims were free of any chronic illnesses knowing that the five were ill.
Despite the death toll some public health professionals criticise what they say are unnecessary steps taken by the Health Ministry. Alaa Ghanam, a former senior Ministry of Health official, believes the government and other concerned authorities have engaged in unnecessary scare mongering since the virus appeared last March.
"There's a difference between raising awareness and spreading panic," Ghanam said. "News of the virus has dominated front-pages in Egypt for weeks, even though the death toll is below the international average."
In response to public fears the government launched a campaign that Ghanam believes has ranged between the excessive to the genuinely bizarre. From the culling of hundreds of thousands of pigs earlier this year to delaying the start of schools for three weeks, the government's plan, Ghanam says, has been panicked and panic-inducing.
He blames the local media for sensationalist coverage that played on local fears fanned by the avian flu outbreak several years ago without mentioning that swine flu is far less deadly, and in fact no more dangerous than standard influenza.
We have, says Ghanam, witnessed an "up and down" policy that seems to be re-evaluated on a daily basis. He complains of the loss of "an opportunity on a golden platter" for the ministry to launch a comprehensive upgrade of the public health system.
"Danger from the virus is tied to the quality of the public health system. The government should have spent its money on improving the local health facilities."
As dozens of schools, and hundreds of classes, close, parents are left wondering whether health and education officials really know what they are doing in their attempts to combat the spread of swine flu, reports Reem Leila
<hr noshade="noshade"> <!-- STORY --> Since the H1N1 virus hit Egypt in early June, the government and people have often seemed in a state of panic. Even before the first case was reported officials rushed to implement precautionary measures, including health screening at airports and the controversial nationwide cull of pigs. Now, with more than 4,800 swine flu infections with 61 fatalities reported, and amid growing fears of vaccine shortages, officials have opted to close down classes in schools with more than three swine flu victims among their pupils. Some 164 schools and at least 1,400 classes have been shut down so far.
Health officials predict that the number of fatalities will reach 100 by the end of December. The Ministry of Health has announced an additional 25 swine flu casualties within less than a week. The latest deaths were reported as soon as they occurred. According to Abdel-Rahman Shahin, official spokesman at the Ministry of Health, 76 per cent of the latest fatalities had chronic underlying health problems. "The remaining 24 per cent did not appear to have underlying health complications. The Health Ministry is currently investigating the reasons behind their death and why they did not respond to Tamiflu," says Shahin.
The growing number of fatalities is attributed to the onset of winter. Health officials expect infection and death rates to escalate until the end of February 2010. Health Minister Hatem El-Gabali advised women not to become pregnant in the months leading up to April, pointing to a higher risk posed by the pregnancy. However, he assured that there is no scientific evidence that suggests that pregnant women will die if infected with the virus.
"By the middle of March numbers will start to fall," says Shahin.
The Health Ministry is currently setting the price of the H1N1 drug Tamiflu, which will soon be available for sale in pharmacies. The price per pack, says Shahin, should not exceed LE75.
Though thousands of students have lost class time due to classes being closed and because of the five-day extension to the Eid Al-Adha holiday, Adel Abdel-Ghaffar, official spokesman at the Ministry of Education, insists mid-year exams will be held as scheduled.
"We cannot suspend an entire school year when students' infection rates form only 36 per cent of overall cases, and there have been just two deaths among pupils. The academic fate of 16 million school pupils and two million university students cannot be risked for the sake of few hundred who have caught the flu and because parents are panicking needlessly," Abdel-Ghaffar says.
Meanwhile, El-Gabali has referred doctors who signed health certificates for the five Egyptian pilgrims who died during the hajj to a disciplinary committee. The doctors are accused of issuing the mandatory certificates stating that the pilgrims were free of any chronic illnesses knowing that the five were ill.
Despite the death toll some public health professionals criticise what they say are unnecessary steps taken by the Health Ministry. Alaa Ghanam, a former senior Ministry of Health official, believes the government and other concerned authorities have engaged in unnecessary scare mongering since the virus appeared last March.
"There's a difference between raising awareness and spreading panic," Ghanam said. "News of the virus has dominated front-pages in Egypt for weeks, even though the death toll is below the international average."
In response to public fears the government launched a campaign that Ghanam believes has ranged between the excessive to the genuinely bizarre. From the culling of hundreds of thousands of pigs earlier this year to delaying the start of schools for three weeks, the government's plan, Ghanam says, has been panicked and panic-inducing.
He blames the local media for sensationalist coverage that played on local fears fanned by the avian flu outbreak several years ago without mentioning that swine flu is far less deadly, and in fact no more dangerous than standard influenza.
We have, says Ghanam, witnessed an "up and down" policy that seems to be re-evaluated on a daily basis. He complains of the loss of "an opportunity on a golden platter" for the ministry to launch a comprehensive upgrade of the public health system.
"Danger from the virus is tied to the quality of the public health system. The government should have spent its money on improving the local health facilities."
