Back to school swine flu reminder
Measures undertaken early on in the response to human swine flu have helped better prepare the State for spread of the disease, Deputy Premier and Minister for Health Paul Lucas has said.
Lucas said that on day 77 (July 10th) of the national Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 response and health workers in Queensland were continuing to address issues as a result of the outbreak including working closely with Indigenous communities to minimise the spread of the disease.
“Queensland has not been severely impacted by this virus although it is still early days and we continue to learn more every day about how this disease is transmitted through the community,” he said.
“The measures we took in line with the national response have served us well and this has helped reduce the severity of the impact to our community.
“For example, school closures helped to limit the spread among the younger age group that held the most potential to quickly spread the disease.”
With children back to school next week Lucas said it was important that schools and parents worked together to keep school communities healthy by keeping sick children home and encouraging good hygiene.
“We have to be mindful that there are some groups within the community more at risk of swine flu so we have to do the right thing and stay home from school or work if we’re sick.”
Lucas said school closures remained an option in very limited circumstances but the likelihood of disruption during the impending school term had lessened, although there may be higher rates of absenteeism than usual.
Queensland Chief Health Officer, Dr Jeannette Young said the current community spread and the general mild nature of this disease in most cases has meant a shift in focus toward those who are more vulnerable.
“Recently I met with representatives from our hospitals to ensure plans are in place and that our processes are continually being reviewed and updated in line with the changing nature of the response.
Dr Young said the general lack of severity of the symptoms of the disease shouldn’t lull anyone into a false sense of security.
“We should expect an increase in numbers of people who catch this disease in our communities,” she said.
“The best way to prevent this flu is still by following good old-fashioned hygiene practices.
“This means washing your hands, coughing or sneezing into tissues, avoiding people with flu or flu-like symptoms and seeing a doctor or health care professional as soon as possible if you feel unwell.”
