TEACHERS, particularly those teaching in crèches and nurseries, have been urged to critically observe the children under their care and report any possible outbreak of the HINI influeza infection and any communicable disease to school authorities for treatment.
They should also ensure that the children carefully wash their hands with soap before taking their meals.
The National Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) Kofi Portuphy, said this at a day’s sensitisation workshop on the H1N1 influenza for heads of educational institutions in the Greater Accra Region on Tuesday.
The programme, organised by the School Health Educational Programme (SHEP) and NADMO, was on the theme, “Strengthening pandemic influenza H1N1 preparedness and response in schools”.
Mr. Portuphy said considering the fast rate at which the pandemic was spreading, particular in schools, called for the need to intensify education and possibly put mechanisms in place to halt the spread.
He said about 600 cases of the pandemic have so far been reported nationwide with most of them occurring in educational institutions.
He therefore entreated parents to observe their wards at home for symptoms of fever, flu or cold, and send them to hospital for treament.
The National Coordinator of SHEP, Mrs. Ellen Mensah, said it required the collaboration of all to help fight spread of communicable diseases.
He said though everybody is at risk of catching the H1N1 disease, “children are more prone to be infected because of close contact to their peers”.
The Accra-Metro Health Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. John .B. Y. Yabani, said the most commonest symptoms of the pandemic are fever, cough, sore throat, running stomach and running nose.
Other symptoms, he said, are tiredness, chillness and other bodily infections, adding that as soon as these symptoms show, the patients must be taken to the nearest hospital for treatment.
They should also ensure that the children carefully wash their hands with soap before taking their meals.
The National Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) Kofi Portuphy, said this at a day’s sensitisation workshop on the H1N1 influenza for heads of educational institutions in the Greater Accra Region on Tuesday.
The programme, organised by the School Health Educational Programme (SHEP) and NADMO, was on the theme, “Strengthening pandemic influenza H1N1 preparedness and response in schools”.
Mr. Portuphy said considering the fast rate at which the pandemic was spreading, particular in schools, called for the need to intensify education and possibly put mechanisms in place to halt the spread.
He said about 600 cases of the pandemic have so far been reported nationwide with most of them occurring in educational institutions.
He therefore entreated parents to observe their wards at home for symptoms of fever, flu or cold, and send them to hospital for treament.
The National Coordinator of SHEP, Mrs. Ellen Mensah, said it required the collaboration of all to help fight spread of communicable diseases.
He said though everybody is at risk of catching the H1N1 disease, “children are more prone to be infected because of close contact to their peers”.
The Accra-Metro Health Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. John .B. Y. Yabani, said the most commonest symptoms of the pandemic are fever, cough, sore throat, running stomach and running nose.
Other symptoms, he said, are tiredness, chillness and other bodily infections, adding that as soon as these symptoms show, the patients must be taken to the nearest hospital for treatment.
