Tunisia takes steps to protect students from swine flu

2009-09-09

Health authorities in Tunisia are preparing for the school year with a range of measures to prevent students from contracting the H1N1 (swine flu) virus.

By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia from Tunis — 09/09/09

[Fethi Belaid/AFP/Getty Images] Young Tunisians will face even more exams during this school year, but instead of maths or science, the focus will be on preventing an outbreak of swine flu.

Tunisian students will head back to class this year amidst stepped-up measures to prevent outbreaks of the H1N1 (swine flu) virus, according to local press reports and government sources.

The health measures come in the context of Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's Thursday (September 3rd) call for "the provision of all human and material requirements and the necessary services to ensure the start of the new school and academic season under the best possible conditions." They also reflect Health Minister Mondher Zenaidi's July 18th announcement that the country recorded 32 cases of H1N1 infection, all of them originating "outside Tunisia".

While Zenaidi added that all the patients had been cured "thanks to the caution and care taken by all the medical authorities and the follow-up of the patients and their families", and confirmed that the situation "is not alarming", health ministry officials are hard at work on preventive measures.

For the third year in a row, the Health Ministry's School and University Medicine Department is running a program to provide students with free medical exams. According to local press reports, health screenings will cover 161,462 students during the new school year. The department also will back up health inspections of nurseries and kindergartens, which number more than 3,500 and enrol over 70,000 children.

At universities, doctors have been deployed to check students for dangerous or chronic diseases so that their health conditions and academic progress can be tracked. At the other end of the age spectrum, first-year schoolchildren are being subjected to health checks months before they enrol in school. The process runs between January and June, and the would-be pupils are screened for sicknesses and possible developmental disabilities.

The medical exam program is being implemented "to support the campaign for prevention and awareness of the H1N1 virus in school and university settings", TAP quoted department director Dr. Mounira Garbouj as saying on Wednesday.

According to Garbouj, the ministry will also organize "workshops on topics such as quitting smoking and [preventing] swine flu; preserving physical health and hygiene; raising awareness of the risks of accidents; and properly using prescription drugs" all year long with the participation of students.

In a statement to Magharebia, Dr. Faker Maalej of the Health Ministry said that the steps were "necessary and obligatory because they will protect students from health surprises that may prevent them from continuing their school year under natural conditions".

"Let's not forget that prevention is better than cure," added the doctor.

The steps to head off swine flu are having an impact on both parents and educators.

"I'm reassured by the continuation of the program, especially since I'm the mother of two students and I'm afraid something bad may happen to them," said Manal Amri. "The swine flu virus is spreading rapidly, and we know that the authorities have banned Tunisians from performing the Omra with the aim of preventing the risks of mingling [with potentially infected pilgrims]. This means that the risks haven't been eliminated yet."

For her part, Munira Al Tabib said she wanted the measures to include kindergartens, "which have spread everywhere in the last few years, and where babies, healthy kids and kids with colds mix."

Nursery and kindergarten owner Hadiya El Dakhli told Magharebia that health control measures on her facilities are strict, with as many as three surprise inspections per year.

"I always try to prevent children infected with contagious diseases from entering the kindergarten," she said. "In addition, I've hired a paediatrician who comes and evaluates the children every month."