H1N1 scare: Bengaluru school suspends offline classes as over 500 fall ill

Bengaluru's Clarence High School shifts classes for 6 to 12 online after over 500 students and 21 staff report flu-like symptoms amid two confirmed H1N1 cases

Clarence High School in Bengaluru has suspended offline classes till August 18 after more than 500 students were absent following reports of flu-like symptoms among students and staff members. Two H1N1 cases have also been confirmed, prompting the school to shift classes for grades 6 to 12 online as a precaution.

 

The school, located on Pottery Road, was initially closed on August 12 for deep cleaning and sanitisation after a large number of students and staff reported symptoms including fever, cough and cold. It reopened the following day, with students showing even mild symptoms advised to remain at home.

 

However, the scale of absentees after the reopening prompted the school to suspend physical classes again.

Why has Clarence High School suspended offline classes?

According to a report by The Times of India, more than 500 students were absent after the school reopened on August 13. The number was equivalent to about 20 per cent of the school's roughly 2,500 students.

 

As many as 137 students visited the school's first-aid centre, of whom 15 were sent home, and 19 were kept under observation. At least 21 staff members were also absent.

 

With two H1N1 cases confirmed, the school suspended offline classes from August 14 to August 18 as a precautionary measure.

 

The 6 to 12 students are attending classes online during the temporary closure. The Montessori and primary sections, meanwhile, remain closed.

School raises concerns over vendors near campus

Alongside the illness reported among students and staff, Clarence High School has raised concerns about street-food vendors and other businesses operating around its premises.

 

In a complaint to civic authorities, the school alleged that several vendors occupy footpaths and that waste around some stalls has contributed to unhygienic conditions. The vendors listed by the school include sellers of tender coconut, kebabs, momos, ice cream, sugarcane juice, sweet corn and South Indian food.

 

The school also alleged littering, public urination, footpath encroachment and other activities around the campus that it said could pose health and safety concerns for students.

School seeks civic intervention

The school management has approached the block education officer and the city corporation health officer seeking action over the conditions around the campus.

 

It has sought a health and safety inspection of food vendors, action against vendors allegedly operating without licences, relocation of vendors to designated vending zones and enforcement of rules concerning the sale of junk food near educational institutions.

 

The school has also referred to proposed restrictions on the sale of foods high in fat, salt and sugar near educational institutions.

What is H1N1 flu?

H1N1 is a strain of influenza A virus commonly known as swine flu. It gained global attention during the 2009 pandemic, when a new H1N1 strain spread among humans.

 

The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic in 2009 and ended the pandemic phase in August 2010. The H1N1 virus that caused the pandemic subsequently became one of the viruses circulating as seasonal influenza.

 

Most people recover from influenza without serious complications, although the infection can be more severe for people at higher risk.