Puducherry schools up to Class 8 closed to check H3N2 flu spread
Minister A Namassivayam said they took the decision after a report was submitted to the chief minister by the directorate of health and family welfare
The Puducherry government on Wednesday announced that the schools for students up to Class 8 will remain closed from March 16 to March 26 in the union territory to restrict the spread of the H3N2 virus.
Minister A Namassivayam made this announcement in the assembly which applies to government, government-aided as well as private schools in Puducherry. He said that this decision was taken after the directorate of health and family welfare submitted a report to chief minister N Rangaswamy, stating that children below the age of 18 were more vulnerable to the virus.
Speaking to HT he said that the chief minister had held a detailed discussion on the health department’s report. “About 400 people have been infected with the H3N2 virus in the past week, according to the report. They have said the maximum percentage of people affected is below the age group of 18,” Namassivayam said.
“But, it’s not a bad situation. The patients are not serious. Only seven of them are admitted to hospitals and doctors have told us that they are experiencing fever, body pain, and a cough which is being treated with the usual medicines for such symptoms. The health department’s report has said that this situation would continue until March 31 so we held a discussion and the chief minister suggested that we close down the schools for 10 days for the children studying in LKG up to class 8 as a protective measure,” he added.
Namassivayam had also earlier in the day informed the reporters that the leave was announced based on the report. “In the past few days, influenza has increased in Puducherry,” he had said.
In the neighbouring Tamil Nadu, the health department had organised a 1000 fever camps across the state on March 10 to monitor H3N2 cases. 200 camps were conducted in Chennai alone.
Tamil Nadu health minister M Subramanian on Wednesday told reporters that there was no need to panic. “The situation is under control and regular anti-biotics are being used to treat the influenza,” Subramanian said. “Dengue is also under control in the state.”
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), H3N2 is a non-human influenza virus that was first detected in 2011 in humans. The symptoms include fever, respiratory issues like cough and runny nose, body aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea. Children below five years of age, people of age 65 years and older, pregnant women, and people with chronic diseases like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, weakened immune systems, and neurological or neurodevelopmental conditions are more prone to develop complications due to the H3N2 virus.
