Sally Furniss
Well-known member
Flu fears in Japan see cancellation of Kiwi school trip
Students Isabella Lenihan-Ikin and Simon Mead are disappointed they won't be going to Japan
Tue, 05 May 2009 6:03p.m.
Japan has cancelled a visit by a group of Auckland school children amid fears about the spread of swine flu.
None of the 20 students at Pasadena Intermediate School have flu-like symptoms, but worried authorities and parents in Japan have asked that the trip not go ahead.
Students Isabella Lenihan-Ikin and Simon Mead have spent months studying Japan and were to leave for Hiroshima in two days as part of an exchange programme with a private school, but flu fears have put an end to their trip.
Japan has no confirmed cases of swine flu, and with a population of more than 127 million it's highly sensitive about the situation.
The decision from Japanese education officials to cancel the trip comes as Mexico ends a five-day shutdown of businesses and schools.
"I'm just annoyed because I think it's a silly decision and they should at least just postpone it," Simon says.
"I don't think it's been a scientific decision but it's been an emotional one and we believe a fair one," Pasadena Intermediate School Principal Tony Walsh says. "And we respect Nagasi's request."
It is hoped that the group will get to Japan later in the year, if the risk of a pandemic recedes.
The school has had an exchange programme with Japan for the past 15 years, and apart from the Sars outbreak, the trip has never been cancelled.
New Zealand has just six confirmed cases of swine flu, but it's clear the epidemic continue to cause panic and a heightened level of precaution around the world.
http://www.3news.co.nz/News/Interna...abid/417/articleID/102733/cat/62/Default.aspx
Tue, 05 May 2009 6:03p.m.
Japan has cancelled a visit by a group of Auckland school children amid fears about the spread of swine flu.
None of the 20 students at Pasadena Intermediate School have flu-like symptoms, but worried authorities and parents in Japan have asked that the trip not go ahead.
Students Isabella Lenihan-Ikin and Simon Mead have spent months studying Japan and were to leave for Hiroshima in two days as part of an exchange programme with a private school, but flu fears have put an end to their trip.
Japan has no confirmed cases of swine flu, and with a population of more than 127 million it's highly sensitive about the situation.
The decision from Japanese education officials to cancel the trip comes as Mexico ends a five-day shutdown of businesses and schools.
"I'm just annoyed because I think it's a silly decision and they should at least just postpone it," Simon says.
"I don't think it's been a scientific decision but it's been an emotional one and we believe a fair one," Pasadena Intermediate School Principal Tony Walsh says. "And we respect Nagasi's request."
It is hoped that the group will get to Japan later in the year, if the risk of a pandemic recedes.
The school has had an exchange programme with Japan for the past 15 years, and apart from the Sars outbreak, the trip has never been cancelled.
New Zealand has just six confirmed cases of swine flu, but it's clear the epidemic continue to cause panic and a heightened level of precaution around the world.
http://www.3news.co.nz/News/Interna...abid/417/articleID/102733/cat/62/Default.aspx