kiwibird
Editor, Senior Moderator
Last updated 05:00 16/06/2009
CLOSED: Bromley Primary School's 320 pupils have been advised to stay home.
DON SCOTT/ The Press
PREVENTION: Medical clinic worker Avau Tito wore a face mask at a meeting of Samoan church leaders in Christchurch last night as an example of an anti-flu measure.
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<!--story_features(_empty)--> <!-- -normal_story_landing- --> <!--start components/story/common_content--> Swine flu has spread to at least five Christchurch schools and closed one.
Bromley School has been closed for seven days by health officials to prevent the spread of swine flu.
<hr>
Has your family been affected by the closure of Bromley School? Please call John Hartevelt on 03 9432 764.
<hr> A recorded message on the school's phone says all families will be contacted by the weekend with further information.
``Huge apologies for the disruption to family life,'' the message says.
The primary school has 320 pupils.
Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Alistair Humphrey said there were cases of swine flu at Linwood Intermediate and Linwood College. Officials would meet with school staff today to decide whether to isolate classmates of the sick children.
``We do have the authority to isolate contacts which can include the whole class. However, the school decides whether it closes or not. Bromley, because it's a small school, took the decision to close down.''
Nearly half the workers at a Christchurch seafood factory have also been quarantined after an employee contracted influenza A (H1N1). A further case has been confirmed at another Canterbury workplace.
Health officials last night were racing to contain the outbreak stemming from a Samoan grandmother who returned from Australia with the virus.
Among those infected was the 40-year-old mother of a child at Tino E Tasi Samoan preschool, where seven children and teachers had the flu.
The mother works a night shift at Woolston-based Sea Products Ltd, forcing 40 of her workmates home for three days.
Sea Products Ltd general manager Mark Skevington said the company had 100 workers but because it operated a double shift, it would not be too hard hit by the loss of staff.
"It's a momentary hiccup," Skevington said.
"For companies on single shift with just one crew, it will probably be quite an issue if the health department closes them down," he said.
Canterbury now has 31 confirmed cases of the highly infectious flu, which is spreading rapidly across New Zealand.
Nationwide, the number of confirmed cases stood at 86 yesterday as the Health Ministry considered moving to the next level of pandemic.
The Canterbury District Health Board last night said six pupils from three more Christchurch schools in the eastern suburbs had contracted swine flu.
However, the board would not name the schools because tests were still being carried out.
Fifty teachers and students at Burnside High School were quarantined after the Samoan grandmother's 13-year-old grandson, who is a pupil at the school, tested positive at the weekend.
Another 27 staff and students from the school were isolated yesterday.
Samoan church leaders last night held a meeting to discuss the virus.
At the meeting, Canterbury medical officer of health Alistair Humphrey urged community members to wash their hands regularly and keep their children out of school if they felt sick.
"The Samoan community is a stoic community. You go to work when you are sick and keep working, but this time it's different. It's very important if you get sick to stay away from your workmates," he said.
"For one Sunday, we are asking people who get sick not to go to church."
Humphrey said it was communities not health services that would get New Zealand through the pandemic by supporting each other and spreading the message about flu prevention.
Advertisements about the flu would be played during Plains FM Samoan language radio shows and those at the meeting were asked to tell at least 10 others what they had learnt.
"We need to get the word out quickly. We don't have weeks to respond; we probably only have days or hours," he said.
"Hopefully we can spread the word faster than the virus spreads."
Samoan community member Avau Tito attended the meeting in a face mask. Tito said she worked at the Piki Te Ora medical clinic and was trying to set a good example to people to prevent the spread of the virus.
About five people had gone to the centre exhibiting swine flu symptoms in the past week, and some staff had chosen to start wearing masks, she said.
Humphrey said Canterbury's overloaded secret screening centre where people with suspected influenza are checked will this week move to larger premises with more staff.
Principals across Canterbury are reporting high rates of absenteeism, with one school missing half of its pupils. Canterbury Primary Principals' Association president Denise Torrey said she had heard of many schools with high absences.
"We're not sure whether it's swine flu or whether it's mass hysteria. With it all being front page news, people think, `Well, my kid is feeling a bit sniffly today; I won't send them', which is great because we don't want sick kids at school. [But] we'll have to see how we get on with those test results."
Health Minister Tony Ryall said that as the numbers of confirmed cases had risen over the past week, different strategies were being considered to deal with the outbreak.
The Government was planning for a transition phase, where health services started to advise the public how not to spread the virus.
A 69-year-old Tasman woman is in isolation with Nelson's first confirmed case of swine flu.
The woman tested positive for influenza A (H1N1) when she returned from Australia on Sunday. Two people who have been in close contact with her are in quarantine.
About 40 young travellers have been allowed to continue their trip down the West Coast after they were forced into quarantine by a swine flu scare.
A female member of the group was taken off the bus and kept in isolation in Westport late last week after developing flu symptoms.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/2503057/Swine-flu-closes-Chch-school/
CLOSED: Bromley Primary School's 320 pupils have been advised to stay home.
PREVENTION: Medical clinic worker Avau Tito wore a face mask at a meeting of Samoan church leaders in Christchurch last night as an example of an anti-flu measure.
<!-- Begin relevant offers adspace--> <script>add_batch_ad('adRELEVANTOFFER1', '240x45_SPECIALOFFER','RELEVANTOFFER1');</script>
<!--story_features(_empty)--> <!-- -normal_story_landing- --> <!--start components/story/common_content--> Swine flu has spread to at least five Christchurch schools and closed one.
Bromley School has been closed for seven days by health officials to prevent the spread of swine flu.
<hr>
Has your family been affected by the closure of Bromley School? Please call John Hartevelt on 03 9432 764.
<hr> A recorded message on the school's phone says all families will be contacted by the weekend with further information.
``Huge apologies for the disruption to family life,'' the message says.
The primary school has 320 pupils.
Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Alistair Humphrey said there were cases of swine flu at Linwood Intermediate and Linwood College. Officials would meet with school staff today to decide whether to isolate classmates of the sick children.
``We do have the authority to isolate contacts which can include the whole class. However, the school decides whether it closes or not. Bromley, because it's a small school, took the decision to close down.''
Nearly half the workers at a Christchurch seafood factory have also been quarantined after an employee contracted influenza A (H1N1). A further case has been confirmed at another Canterbury workplace.
Health officials last night were racing to contain the outbreak stemming from a Samoan grandmother who returned from Australia with the virus.
Among those infected was the 40-year-old mother of a child at Tino E Tasi Samoan preschool, where seven children and teachers had the flu.
The mother works a night shift at Woolston-based Sea Products Ltd, forcing 40 of her workmates home for three days.
Sea Products Ltd general manager Mark Skevington said the company had 100 workers but because it operated a double shift, it would not be too hard hit by the loss of staff.
"It's a momentary hiccup," Skevington said.
"For companies on single shift with just one crew, it will probably be quite an issue if the health department closes them down," he said.
Canterbury now has 31 confirmed cases of the highly infectious flu, which is spreading rapidly across New Zealand.
Nationwide, the number of confirmed cases stood at 86 yesterday as the Health Ministry considered moving to the next level of pandemic.
The Canterbury District Health Board last night said six pupils from three more Christchurch schools in the eastern suburbs had contracted swine flu.
However, the board would not name the schools because tests were still being carried out.
Fifty teachers and students at Burnside High School were quarantined after the Samoan grandmother's 13-year-old grandson, who is a pupil at the school, tested positive at the weekend.
Another 27 staff and students from the school were isolated yesterday.
Samoan church leaders last night held a meeting to discuss the virus.
At the meeting, Canterbury medical officer of health Alistair Humphrey urged community members to wash their hands regularly and keep their children out of school if they felt sick.
"The Samoan community is a stoic community. You go to work when you are sick and keep working, but this time it's different. It's very important if you get sick to stay away from your workmates," he said.
"For one Sunday, we are asking people who get sick not to go to church."
Humphrey said it was communities not health services that would get New Zealand through the pandemic by supporting each other and spreading the message about flu prevention.
Advertisements about the flu would be played during Plains FM Samoan language radio shows and those at the meeting were asked to tell at least 10 others what they had learnt.
"We need to get the word out quickly. We don't have weeks to respond; we probably only have days or hours," he said.
"Hopefully we can spread the word faster than the virus spreads."
Samoan community member Avau Tito attended the meeting in a face mask. Tito said she worked at the Piki Te Ora medical clinic and was trying to set a good example to people to prevent the spread of the virus.
About five people had gone to the centre exhibiting swine flu symptoms in the past week, and some staff had chosen to start wearing masks, she said.
Humphrey said Canterbury's overloaded secret screening centre where people with suspected influenza are checked will this week move to larger premises with more staff.
Principals across Canterbury are reporting high rates of absenteeism, with one school missing half of its pupils. Canterbury Primary Principals' Association president Denise Torrey said she had heard of many schools with high absences.
"We're not sure whether it's swine flu or whether it's mass hysteria. With it all being front page news, people think, `Well, my kid is feeling a bit sniffly today; I won't send them', which is great because we don't want sick kids at school. [But] we'll have to see how we get on with those test results."
Health Minister Tony Ryall said that as the numbers of confirmed cases had risen over the past week, different strategies were being considered to deal with the outbreak.
The Government was planning for a transition phase, where health services started to advise the public how not to spread the virus.
A 69-year-old Tasman woman is in isolation with Nelson's first confirmed case of swine flu.
The woman tested positive for influenza A (H1N1) when she returned from Australia on Sunday. Two people who have been in close contact with her are in quarantine.
About 40 young travellers have been allowed to continue their trip down the West Coast after they were forced into quarantine by a swine flu scare.
A female member of the group was taken off the bus and kept in isolation in Westport late last week after developing flu symptoms.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/2503057/Swine-flu-closes-Chch-school/