It is like Covid again, says principal as 170 pupils sick

The headteacher of a school in County Londonderry said having 170 pupils off sick in just one day was like “going back to Covid times”.

Brian Guthrie, from Ebrington Primary School, said some children had to go to hospital last week and a small number were admitted for treatment.

Confirmed cases of flu among adults and children in Northern Ireland have more than tripled in the last fortnight, from 273 to 954, according to official figures.

Mr Guthrie said classroom assistants at his school were also absent due to illness.

Mr Guthrie told the BBC: “It’s not just the flu, there’s been stomach upsets, very sore throats and other illnesses, but it’s been very, very challenging with the student and staff numbers being closed over the last week.” North West Today program.

“It took me back to 2020 to be honest, attendance last week was actually worse than it would have been at any of the worst points, you know, Covid times, so yeah, it was a bit of a shock.”

Mr Guthrie said the impact of high levels of absenteeism meant teachers were failing to implement new learning in terms of literacy and numeracy.

“At the beginning of last week it was affecting younger children more but towards the end of the week we noticed that we were seeing a higher rate of absence in the upper levels of the school, P5 to P7, but at the beginning of last week it was more primary one, primary two,” he said.

Seasonal illnesses, including flu, increase each winter, but experts predict this year’s flu season could get worse worst in a decade.

It particularly affects young people and a pediatrician in Belfast said it was the biggest problem. worst flu epidemic ever.

According to the latest data, the under-fives had the highest number of confirmed flu cases among all age groups in the week ending 30 November. Data published by the Public Health Agency(PHA).

During the same period, 5- to 14-year-olds had the highest positivity rate (54.2%); This means that although fewer tests are performed, those tested are more likely to catch the flu.

PHA Director of Public Health Dr Joanne McClean has described the current number of flu cases in Northern Ireland as an “epidemic”.

He said that in the week to November 30, both positive tests and flu-related hospital admissions had “almost doubled” compared to the previous week.

“The epidemic is still growing,” Dr McClean said. BBC’s Evening Extra program.

“So we expect to see even higher numbers next week.”

Dr McClean explained that it was a “slightly drifting” strain of flu called H3, which was more contagious than the regular strains and affected children the most.

But most children who catch the flu will not need to be hospitalized, he said.

He added that the likelihood of a vaccinated child needing hospital treatment is reduced by approximately 70 percent.

PHA is responsible for the roll-out of flu vaccinations in schools in Northern Ireland, with approximately 1,200 schools covered by the programme.

Earlier on Friday, Dr. McClean said: The Nolan Show Around 40 schools in Northern Ireland have not yet been visited by the vaccination programme.

“Most of them will be visiting by next week,” he said.

“There are currently some schools scheduled to open after the Christmas holidays.”

He added that PHA will be monitoring these schools to see if anything can be done to get vaccines to them quickly, adding that offering vaccination programs through schools ensures higher uptake.

“As director of public health, it would be great if we could get all the schools done in September, as soon as the vaccine arrives,” he said.

“But there are so many schools that we need to agree on a time with the schools. They need to find a date that suits them, and we need to hire nurses to administer the vaccine.”

Vaccination rates among children of all ages remain below 50 percent PHA’s figures.

So far, only a quarter of pre-school children have received the flu vaccine, while about a third of post-primary children have received this vaccine.

Dr McClean said available data was incomplete but suggested uptake among school-age children would be similar to last year.

“I’d rather have 85-90% acceptance. I’d rather everyone get it,” he said.

“So of course I’m disappointed about that.”

• Preschoolers (2-4): 25.8%
• Primary school children (K1–K7): 44.7%
• Post-primary school children (grades 8-12): 30.3%

In Northern Ireland, flu vaccination is free for all pre-school children aged two years and over, all children in primary school and all children in grades 8 to 12 in secondary school.

People aged 65 and over, pregnant women, people with underlying health conditions, care home residents and health and social care workers are also eligible for free vaccinations.

Vaccines are available through GPs, community pharmacies, school programs and local Trust clinics.

People who are not eligible to receive free vaccines can still receive vaccines for a fee from pharmacies that offer vaccination services.

Liam Bradley, a community pharmacist in Derry, said demand for flu jabs this year was higher than last year.

“Each pharmacy is allocated a certain vaccine quota, and we used our quotas in all our branches and ordered more,” he said.

“There may be a temporary shortage of vaccines because pharmacies’ quotas are full, but the Ministry of Health is trying to ensure that everyone is vaccinated.”

He said it takes about 7 to 10 days for the vaccine to give people protection against the flu.