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Swine flu: government damned by parents for spreading panic in Scotland?s schools
SPECIAL REPORT: Children ?are being kept out of school? as experts make U-turn in adviceBy Sarah Swain
GOVERNMENT CONFUSION over the growing number of swine flu outbreaks in schools is seeing parents keep children at home en masse over fears about the spread of the illness. Parents in the southside of Glasgow, where a number of infected schools remain open, say the handling of the outbreak by education and health chiefs is causing "panic among mums and dads".
They were speaking out as the Scottish Government admitted it had no idea how many schools have been hit by the pandemic but remain open and have not sent children home in large numbers.
The Sunday Herald has found that in some areas many schools are infected but remain open. In Greater Glasgow at least four schools have had outbreaks of swine flu but remain open to all pupils, apart from those who are ill.
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The government did confirm a total of 18 schools have either been closed or seen large groups of pupils sent home. It added that its advice to councils had been to make decisions whether to close schools on an individual basis after taking advice from health boards. But they are now advising councils that the virus is so widespread in communities there is little point in sending children home. This U-turn, however, means parents are taking their children out of school amid fears they could be at risk.
"Proof of the alarm this has created among mothers and fathers is the fact so many parents are choosing not to send their kids to school once they learn that swine flu is in schools. Among my close friends, five decided not to send their children to school," said one mother, from Newton Mearns in Glasgow, who has a daughter at Eastwood High and a son at Crookfur Primary. Both schools have swine flu infections.
"They simply feel that there is too high a risk of their children catching this illness."
The mother, who did not want to be named, claims worried parents have taken many more children out of the local schools, which sit side-by-side and have a combined roll of 1395 pupils.
There are currently 12 children infected across both schools, though East Renfrewshire Council strongly denies there is any kind of panic or that more pupils than usual are absent for the time of year.
Letters sent to parents explaining the schools would remain open despite the cases, signed by NHS Consultant in Public Health Medicine, Dr Syed Ahmed, said: "As the virus is now so widespread in the local community, there is no additional risk of your child contracting the virus solely from attendance at school."
"The biggest problem is lack of consistency," the mother added. "Some schools are sending home just a few kids and not closing the school, some schools are sending no-one home; doctors say one thing, and NHS 24 say something else. One day they are swabbing kids, the next day they aren't. How the hell are parents meant to prevent their children getting sick, if the people who are meant to know what's going on are acting like this?"
Renfrewshire Council was the only local council contacted by The Sunday Herald that said it believed some parents were keeping their children at home because of the panic.
The teaching union, the Education Institute of Scotland, has questioned whether the handling of the outbreak needs to be reviewed. General Secretary Ronnie Smith said: "In the light of experience to date, the time may be right to pull together people who have been involved to reflect on the arrangements that have operated and consider if any changes in the procedures would be appropriate."
However, parents groups backed the decision to keep schools open. Eleanor Coner from the Scottish Parent Teacher Council said: "If you keep all the children off school what impact does that have? Does it stop the virus spreading? Probably not. The children will be mixing anyway. We have to recognise that the virus is around and we've got to look for symptoms."
Dr Linda de Caestecker, director of public health at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, has also reassured parents their children should carry on attending school or nursery because the virus has now become so widespread.
She said: "There are areas in Greater Glasgow and Clyde with a significant number of cases and, as such, the risk of catching the virus in schools or nurseries is no greater than catching it in the communities where the number of cases is high. Therefore, unless public health officials have advised schools and parents to the contrary, children should continue to attend as normal."
However, the Newton Mearns mother says she discovered how little schools, doctors, education board and NHS 24 know about the illness when her own 13-year-old daughter came down with flu-like symptoms.
She rang NHS 24 and was told it sounded as though her daughter had swine flu symptoms. She also attended her GP's surgery after explaining the symptoms over the phone, but when they arrived they were both told to wait in a disabled toilet for fear of infection.
The child was never swabbed by medics to test for swine flu, instead she was diagnosed with tonsillitis.
The fact that Scotland's only death from swine flu occurred in the local community had also ramped up fear among the parents. Jacqueline Fleming, 38, who also had other health problems, lived in nearby Thornliebank, not far from Eastwood and Crookfur schools.
A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde could not comment on the parent's claims but said anybody believed to be suffering from the illness should not go to a surgery but instead call their GP by phone or contact NHS 24 for advice on getting tested.
There are currently 566 swine flu cases in Scotland. Last night, 17 more cases were confirmed in Scotland, 16 of which are in Greater Glasgow.
Swine flu: government damned by parents for spreading panic in Scotland?s schools
SPECIAL REPORT: Children ?are being kept out of school? as experts make U-turn in adviceBy Sarah Swain
GOVERNMENT CONFUSION over the growing number of swine flu outbreaks in schools is seeing parents keep children at home en masse over fears about the spread of the illness. Parents in the southside of Glasgow, where a number of infected schools remain open, say the handling of the outbreak by education and health chiefs is causing "panic among mums and dads".
They were speaking out as the Scottish Government admitted it had no idea how many schools have been hit by the pandemic but remain open and have not sent children home in large numbers.
The Sunday Herald has found that in some areas many schools are infected but remain open. In Greater Glasgow at least four schools have had outbreaks of swine flu but remain open to all pupils, apart from those who are ill.
advertisement
The government did confirm a total of 18 schools have either been closed or seen large groups of pupils sent home. It added that its advice to councils had been to make decisions whether to close schools on an individual basis after taking advice from health boards. But they are now advising councils that the virus is so widespread in communities there is little point in sending children home. This U-turn, however, means parents are taking their children out of school amid fears they could be at risk.
"Proof of the alarm this has created among mothers and fathers is the fact so many parents are choosing not to send their kids to school once they learn that swine flu is in schools. Among my close friends, five decided not to send their children to school," said one mother, from Newton Mearns in Glasgow, who has a daughter at Eastwood High and a son at Crookfur Primary. Both schools have swine flu infections.
"They simply feel that there is too high a risk of their children catching this illness."
The mother, who did not want to be named, claims worried parents have taken many more children out of the local schools, which sit side-by-side and have a combined roll of 1395 pupils.
There are currently 12 children infected across both schools, though East Renfrewshire Council strongly denies there is any kind of panic or that more pupils than usual are absent for the time of year.
Letters sent to parents explaining the schools would remain open despite the cases, signed by NHS Consultant in Public Health Medicine, Dr Syed Ahmed, said: "As the virus is now so widespread in the local community, there is no additional risk of your child contracting the virus solely from attendance at school."
"The biggest problem is lack of consistency," the mother added. "Some schools are sending home just a few kids and not closing the school, some schools are sending no-one home; doctors say one thing, and NHS 24 say something else. One day they are swabbing kids, the next day they aren't. How the hell are parents meant to prevent their children getting sick, if the people who are meant to know what's going on are acting like this?"
Renfrewshire Council was the only local council contacted by The Sunday Herald that said it believed some parents were keeping their children at home because of the panic.
The teaching union, the Education Institute of Scotland, has questioned whether the handling of the outbreak needs to be reviewed. General Secretary Ronnie Smith said: "In the light of experience to date, the time may be right to pull together people who have been involved to reflect on the arrangements that have operated and consider if any changes in the procedures would be appropriate."
However, parents groups backed the decision to keep schools open. Eleanor Coner from the Scottish Parent Teacher Council said: "If you keep all the children off school what impact does that have? Does it stop the virus spreading? Probably not. The children will be mixing anyway. We have to recognise that the virus is around and we've got to look for symptoms."
Dr Linda de Caestecker, director of public health at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, has also reassured parents their children should carry on attending school or nursery because the virus has now become so widespread.
She said: "There are areas in Greater Glasgow and Clyde with a significant number of cases and, as such, the risk of catching the virus in schools or nurseries is no greater than catching it in the communities where the number of cases is high. Therefore, unless public health officials have advised schools and parents to the contrary, children should continue to attend as normal."
However, the Newton Mearns mother says she discovered how little schools, doctors, education board and NHS 24 know about the illness when her own 13-year-old daughter came down with flu-like symptoms.
She rang NHS 24 and was told it sounded as though her daughter had swine flu symptoms. She also attended her GP's surgery after explaining the symptoms over the phone, but when they arrived they were both told to wait in a disabled toilet for fear of infection.
The child was never swabbed by medics to test for swine flu, instead she was diagnosed with tonsillitis.
The fact that Scotland's only death from swine flu occurred in the local community had also ramped up fear among the parents. Jacqueline Fleming, 38, who also had other health problems, lived in nearby Thornliebank, not far from Eastwood and Crookfur schools.
A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde could not comment on the parent's claims but said anybody believed to be suffering from the illness should not go to a surgery but instead call their GP by phone or contact NHS 24 for advice on getting tested.
There are currently 566 swine flu cases in Scotland. Last night, 17 more cases were confirmed in Scotland, 16 of which are in Greater Glasgow.